How Chiropractic Care Can Help Earache and Ear Infections

A pediatrician who suspects that a child with an earache has a middle ear infection will normally prescribe antibiotics as a customary course of treatment. New study, however, has concluded that this type of treatment is often misguided. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial pathogens, and because the child’s middle ear infection may be caused by a virus, antibiotics are ineffectual. This may account for a child’s chronic ear infections.

One of the tasks of a chiropractor is to determine if the reason for the body’s ineffectiveness in combatting the earache or ear infection is produced by inflamation of the small nerves in the spine (called free nerve endings).

An aberrant tension in the small muscles of the neck is caused when these nerve endings are inflammed. Pressure produced on the lymphatic drainage ducts as a consequence of muscle tension can prevent adequate drainage from inside the ear. This condition prevents the body from naturally fixing the problem. In addition, balance can also be affected.

Inadequate drainage of lymphatic ducts can be discovered by a chiropractor if there is more tension in the neck and paraspinal muscles on the side with the earache. The chiropractor also looks for spinal vertebrae that are either moderately out of alignment or are not moving within their normal range. There are a variety of reasons for such aproblem due to the many bangs, jolts, and falls most children undergo growing up. Many times, a short regimen of spinal adjustments and manipulation of the neck muscles will aid in restoring normal lymph drainage. If your child is suffering from an earache or an ear infection, see your chiropractor as soon as possible.

Advanced Research and Guidelines

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ear infection, the most prevalent childhood sickness second only to the common cold, accounts for nearly 30 million doctor visits every year. In addition, at least 6 million courses of antibiotics are causelessly prescribed for the problem.  Just recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new guidelines for treating pediatric ear inflammation, and expressly recommended a period of “watchful waiting” since, in many cases, infections clear up on their own, without medication.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) endorses the AAP on the guidelines and reiterates that chiropractic management is a “good first option” for treating ear infection conservatively. “Doctors of chiropractic have been treating children for decades with great success – helping them to avoid painful ear infections, antibiotic overuse and resistance, and ear tube surgery,” said ACA President Donald Krippendorf, DC. “Particularly when dealing with young children, drugs and surgery should be an absolute last resort.”

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