Children and young people
As the musculoskeletal system grows from infancy to puberty, it’s important to develop healthy movement habits and bodily awareness. Our chiropractic medicine can support the healthy musculoskeletal development of your child by carrying out preventive examinations, giving recommendations and addressing certain diseases.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Chiropraktische Behandlung von Kindern und Jugendlichen](/fileadmin/_processed_/9/5/csm_chiropraktische-behandlung-von-kindern_0ef354f181.jpg)
Neck, back and head pain are increasingly common in children and adolescents. These problems are often due to poor posture, overexertion or lack of exercise. Research shows that chiropractic treatments can effectively relieve pain and prevent long-term complications [1]. To this end, it’s important to identify growth disorders such as scoliosis and Scheuermann’s disease, or other causes of pain such as vertebral slippage, inflammation or tumors, at an early stage. If we make a preliminary diagnosis, it’s our responsibility to initiate appropriate further treatment by other specialist departments—such as pediatric orthopedics—and to assist the young patient, depending on their symptoms.
Frequent symptoms and chiropractic treatment options
[Translate to Englisch:]
For infants
Spinal problems may occur immediately after birth, often due to the birth process or an adverse position in the womb. In infants, torticollis and plagiocephaly (asymmetric flattening of the back of the head) are common causes for a consultation with us. Other reasons include colic or breastfeeding problems [2, 3].
Musculoskeletal system development and certain risk factors are fundamental to our assessment. We treat newborn babies using gentle, targeted manual measures that are appropriate for their small body. We provide you, as parents, with detailed information about the clinical picture and treatment plan, along with valuable tips, such as on how to hold and position your baby.
In children and adolescents
Children and adolescents can suffer from neck, back and head pain if they have poor posture, sit in front of screens for long periods of time and engage in too little or too much exercise [4]. Chiropractic treatment aims to uncover as many causes as possible of existing problems. We offer explanations and solutions to alleviate the symptoms and always try to motivate our patients—whether young or old—to actively participate.
These active measures include strengthening exercises and behavioral changes, which we tailor as far as possible to the individual needs and preferences of the children and teenagers. Early detection and correct treatment of symptoms in the back, neck or head can protect against chronic pain in adult life [1].
We use careful screenings to evaluate complex conditions such as growth disorders (e.g. scoliosis or Scheuermann’s disease), congenital anomalies, leg length differences and foot and knee problems. Depending on the diagnosis and necessary treatment, we work closely with Balgrist University Hospital pediatric orthopedics.
Prevention—for healthy growth
Growing children can impact the health of their musculoskeletal system through their daily physical activities and posture habits. Screenings during the period of primary spinal growth (10 to 16 years of age) help to detect functional postural deficits or growth disorders (e.g. scoliosis or Scheuermann’s disease) at an early stage. If necessary, we treat the problems therapeutically, thereby reducing the risk of future complications [5]. It’s not always easy—but extremely important—to encourage children and young people to develop an active lifestyle. Ideally, as parents, you’re involved in this process and contribute to the health of your entire family.
The next step—when should my child see a chiropractor?
![[Translate to Englisch:] Wann soll mein Kind zum Chiropraktor?](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/e/csm_chiropraktische-behandlung-vom-kopf_3a3071c620.jpg)
If you notice that your baby seems to feel uncomfortable when moving their head, that your child is struggling with musculoskeletal pain, posture problems or sports injuries, or that they have poor posture during or after puberty, we recommend that you seek a chiropractic consultation with us. Our assessments, consultations and treatments are entirely tailored to the particular needs of children and young people, in close cooperation with their parents. If you’re still unsure, consult your child’s doctor first.
How to contacvt us: +41 44 386 57 06 e-mail
References
Keating G, Hawk C, Amorin-Woods L, Amorin-Woods D, Vallone S, Farabaugh R, Todd A, Ferrance R, Young J, O'Neill Bhogal S, Sexton H, Alevaki H, Miller J, Parkin-Smith G, Schielke A, Robinson A, Thompson R. Clinical Practice Guideline for Best Practice Management of Pediatric Patients by Chiropractors: Results of a Delphi Consensus Process. J Integr Complement Med. 2024;30(3):216-232.
Rodríguez-Huguet M, Rodríguez-Almagro D, Rosety-Rodríguez MÁ, Vinolo-Gil MJ, Ayala-Martínez C, Góngora-Rodríguez J. Effectiveness of the Treatment of Physiotherapy in the Congenital Muscular Torticollis: A Systematic Review. Children (Basel). 2023;11(1):8.
Blanco-Diaz M, Marcos-Alvarez M, Escobio-Prieto I, De la Fuente-Costa M, Perez-Dominguez B, Pinero-Pinto E, Rodriguez-Rodriguez AM. Effectiveness of Conservative Treatments in Positional Plagiocephaly in Infants: A Systematic Review. Children (Basel). 2023;10(7):1184.
Driehuis F, Hoogeboom TJ, Nijhuis-van der Sanden MWG, de Bie RA, Staal JB. Spinal manual therapy in infants, children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis on treatment indication, technique and outcomes. PLoS One. 2019;14(6):e0218940.
Pastor-Pons I, Hidalgo-García C, Lucha-López MO, Barrau-Lalmolda M, Rodes-Pastor I, Rodríguez-Fernández ÁL, Tricás-Moreno JM. Effectiveness of pediatric integrative manual therapy in cervical movement limitation in infants with positional plagiocephaly: a randomized controlled trial. Ital J Pediatr. 2021;47(1):41.