Headaches in Children

Headaches are disruptive in our day-to-day life. Living with them can impact our work, social or family life, school, and more! In children, this can mean an even larger impact as they learn to develop necessary skills, and their ability to develop those skills can become inhibited.

Chronic headaches in pediatrics are relatively common, with approximately 5% of 3-year-olds suffering with them. It's been found that children who suffer from chronic headaches exhibit higher stress and depression levels than those who don't suffer from headaches. It's also common for these children to carry their recurrent and chronic headaches into adulthood if no actions are taken to restore optimal health. Recently, researchers conducted a chiropractic study on children ages 7-14 years old who suffered from at least one headache per week. The children were broken in two groups: those who received real chiropractic adjustments over the course of 8 visits and those who received sham adjustments over 4 months.

In the group who received the actual adjustments, it was found that fewer headaches were occurring weekly as the number of days between headaches grew larger! This study indicates that chiropractic care focused on the body's optimal function (the nervous system in particular!) can be beneficial in children suffering from chronic headaches. If we remove interference and allow for more optimal function, we allow ourselves and our children their best chance!

Lynge, S., Dissing, K. B., Vach, W., Christensen, H. W., & Hestbaek, L. (2020). Effectiveness of chiropractic manipulation versus sham manipulation for recurrent headaches in children aged 7-14 years. A randomised clinical trial. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 2-13. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-57313/v2