Most parents, at some point, have had to deal with ear infections in their children. My oldest had his first ear infection when he was around 2. He woke up in the middle of the night crying and rubbing his ear, not quite able to voice clearly what was going on. I was in chiropractic school, at the time, and was eventually able to figure out that his ear was bothering him. I checked his ear and saw that he was getting an ear infection. I took him to his pediatrician, who confirmed it and prescribed antibiotics. After that appointment, I took him to his chiropractor and never filled the prescription. His ear infection completely resolved in a few days.

An ear infection is a common condition that most often develops in younger kids rather than adults. It’s estimated that 5 in 6 kids will develop an ear infection in their childhood. Ear infections are more prevalent in kids because the Eustachian tube, which drains the middle ear, is shorter and angled. Whereas an adult has a longer and more vertical Eustachian tube, allowing for easier drainage. Because of the structure of the Eustachian tube in a child, it is easier for a bacterial or viral infection to travel from the nasal passages or throat to the middle ear. Once there, it begins to irritate the surrounding tissues, causing pain.

Antibiotics are often prescribed, sometimes to no avail, which can lead to tympanostomy tubes. So the question becomes, “are antibiotics necessary for treating ear infections?” In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a watch-and-wait approach when treating ear infections. (They can sometimes resolve on their own.) The American Academy of Pediatrics also notes that evidence-based research shows that antibiotics are not only ineffective at treating ear infections, but will eventually lead to repeated ear infections.

So what do we do? I have had many parents ask me, “can chiropractic cure ear infections?” I tell them, “Chiropractic allows the body to do what it does best . . . Heal itself.” I could go into detail about how an adjustment reduces the muscle tension and pressure allowing for lymphatic drainage and opening of the Eustachian tube. But really, when it comes down to it, chiropractic enables the body to take care of itself. Chiropractic helps to open the communication from the brain to the muscles, to the soft tissues and every cell in the body, to function at its best. Chiropractic can help ear infections, but its not in a direct way. Chiropractic doesn’t cure ear infections. It opens the communication so the body can do the healing itself.

For example, of my 3 kids, only 1 has ever had an ear infection. He’s had 2 in his life. (He’s now 13.) His most recent, was last year. He had just gotten over a cold and one morning woke with a sore ear. As the morning progressed, it got worse. Until, finally, he was curled in a ball, in his bed, in tears. My mom was visiting at the time and wondered if there was a doctor we could get in to see. I told her I would check him first. As I felt his spine, I could feel the tension in his neck, but more importantly, his spine was subluxated! I gave him 2 adjustments in his neck and waited for his body to do the rest. Within the hour, it was like he never had the pain to begin with. He was up playing around like his normal self. Now, it wasn’t my amazing adjusting skills as a Chiropractor. It wasn’t even the adjustment, itself, that cured the ear ache. Chiropractic just allowed his body to do what it does best. Heal itself!

This is why we love to see kids in our office. Not because we can “cure” anything. But because little spines in optimal alignment, means optimal function, which means optimal health! So make sure your kids are living at their best by getting their spines evaluated!

In health,

Dr. David