Behavior, Sleep Quality, and Energy Improved in Children Under Chiropractic Care

The Asia-Pacific Chiropractic Journal published a paper in their 2022 fourth quarter issue documenting five cases of pediatric chiropractic care helping children with a variety of issues. The study, titled "Improvement in adaptability concomitant with paediatric (sic) chiropractic care", looks at how reductions in subluxations will affect nerve system function resulting in health improvements in children in a variety of ways.

The first case involved an eight year old boy who was brought to the chiropractor by his parents because they noticed his shoulders were uneven and one of his feet was turned outward when he was standing. The chiropractic examination revealed multiple levels of subluxation. care was started for the correction of the subluxations.

Shortly after the care began, the study reports that the boy's postural issues had been corrected. However, in addition to this, the parents and the boy's teacher noticed a significant improvement in the boy's behavior. He was now less grumpy, more attentive and overall calmer, as he could now sit still during floor time.

In the second case, a four-and-a-half month old baby boy was brought to the chiropractor because he was having difficulty sleeping with excessive movement in addition to waking every hour.

The results of this case after chiropractic care showed that he started sleeping much better for about 3-4 hours without waking and he was much more settled. The improvement was so drastic that the mother stated she had shed "tears of happiness" for her son's improvement.

The third case involved a 16-year-old girl who was suffering with neck soreness and excessive tiredness. Her MD had recently diagnosed her with hypothyroidism. After chiropractic care was started for the correction of subluxations, the girl reported that her soreness was gone, and her energy had greatly improved. Additionally, a follow-up visit to the MD showed a change in her thyroid function to where she was no longer meeting the criteria for the hypothyroidism diagnosis.

The fourth case involved a four-and-half-year old boy who had both behavioral and sleep issues. As with the other cases, subluxations were found and specific chiropractic adjustments were started. As with the other cases, the boy showed significant improvement with his behavior and sleep after the start of chiropractic care as reported by the parents.

The fifth case involved a 10-month-old boy who prior to chiropractic care was having problems with sleeping and was reported to be a very light sleeper by his parents. Once again, after the finding of subluxations specific and age appropriate forms of chiropractic were utilized. As with all the previously mentioned cases, the parents noted significant improvements shortly after the start of chiropractic care.

In the discussion and conclusion of this multiple case study the authors noted, "While it might not be top of mind for a parent to present their child for care at a chiropractic clinic with primary concerns of poor sleep, fatigue or with behavioural (sic) concerns, these case reports do raise the possibility that the restoration of ease to the nervous system may be associated with restoration of the child to a state in which they can better adapt to their environment." They concluded, "Chiropractic care for the reduction of subluxations may contribute to enhanced nervous system coherence, thus allowing the child to better adapt to their environment, resulting in better sleep and behaviour (sic).