Different Types of Chiropractic
/As the world increasingly shifts towards natural, drug-free healthcare, many parents are seeking pediatric chiropractic care for their children. However, since this approach to health and neurologically-focused healing is relatively new, parents often feel overwhelmed and confused when they discover the various specialties within chiropractic care and try to understand the differences.
Most people associate chiropractic care with traditional spinal and musculoskeletal-focused care. This approach is generally centered around spinal adjustments to relieve pain and improve mobility. It may also incorporate things like rehab, massage, posture correction exercises, soft tissue work, and so forth to better aid structural changes. Traditional chiropractic care may indeed link vertebral subluxations to the nervous system. However, its primary goal is to alleviate pain and enhance function by utilizing x-rays and/or postural examinations to identify spinal misalignments and structural abnormalities. Many traditional chiropractors will care for the whole family, including kids. However, the care they provide kids and families is still more spinal-focused, so they’re most comfortable seeing kids for sports injuries and maintenance care. It’s not uncommon for chiropractors to utilize multiple adjusting techniques or tools. The reasoning is often based on their own experience, the patient age, or preference of gentleness. Forgoing the neurology, a “cookie-cutter” approach is the outcome.
Some chiropractors may take a functional or integrative medicine approach by combining conventional medical practices with alternative therapies, such as nutrition, lifestyle changes, and mind-body techniques. Functional medicine practitioners often use a variety of tests to uncover underlying imbalances in nutrition, hormones or genetics.
An increasingly popular subset is incorporating functional neurology with a broader range of therapies aimed at improving brain function, including specific exercises, sensory stimulation therapies, low level laser therapies, and cognitive training exercises. A major component is working to address retained primitive reflexes, which are a sign of abnormal or delayed neurodevelopment.
Though there is an appropriate time and place, these forms of care can be daunting, exhausting, and often overwhelming to the family due to the multifaceted nature and integrative “all at once” approach.
NEUROLOGICALLY-FOCUSED CARE
The truth is since its inception in 1895, chiropractic care was primarily focused entirely on identifying and addressing subluxation(s) in the nervous system and restoring optimal neurological balance and function for kids and families. Though the public perception swayed, there is a form of chiropractic care that kept this goal in mind.
Having advanced training in neurologically-focused pediatric chiropractic care provides a deep understanding of neurodevelopment, neurosensory function, brain health and function, and so much more. This specialized work allows us to deploy specific clinical protocols that help children struggling with chronic neurological challenges. Combined with neuro-tonal adjusting techniques, this type of care uses INSiGHT scans to gain a comprehensive understanding of nervous system health. The most important key is actually a “less is more” approach when adjusting.
