What we check
- Upper cervical spine and base-of-skull mobility
- Soft tissue tension around the jaw, throat, and palate region
- Head posture and any longstanding tilt or turn preference
- Whether feeding position, particularly bottle feeding while flat, may be contributing
- Rib and diaphragm motion, and general breathing pattern
- Overall autonomic nervous-system tension on an INSiGHT scan
- Your child's medical history and current pediatrician and ENT plan, which we work with rather than around
- Whether what you are describing today needs a medical visit before a chiropractic one
What to expect
The first visit is a consultation, an INSiGHT nervous-system scan, and a hands-on exam with a first adjustment. Before anything else we will ask about your child's medical care: how many infections, when, what was prescribed, whether an ENT is involved, whether tubes have been discussed, and whether a hearing test has been done. If your child is acutely unwell or in pain today, we will tell you to see your pediatrician first and we will happily reschedule. Otherwise we examine the upper neck, base of the skull, and jaw, and we look at how she moves and holds her head. For a baby, care is sustained light fingertip pressure, roughly the force you would use to test a ripe tomato, with no twisting, popping, or cracking. For an older child it is still gentle and scaled to her size. At the second visit we review the scan and lay out a plan with a defined checkpoint. The initial visit is $200.
Book a first visitWhat We Do Not Do, Stated Plainly
Most pages on this topic imply something they should not, so we are going to be blunt.
- We do not diagnose ear infections. We are not the person who should be looking in your child’s ear.
- We do not treat infection. An acute otitis media is a bacterial or viral process, and no adjustment addresses that.
- We do not prevent ear infections, and we will not tell you that a course of care means fewer of them.
- We do not advise you on antibiotics. Whether to start them, which one, and for how long are decisions for your pediatrician. Watchful waiting is a legitimate medical strategy in some situations, but it is one your doctor chooses, not one you adopt because a chiropractor implied it.
- We do not weigh in on ear tubes. If an ENT has recommended tympanostomy tubes, that is a conversation to have with the ENT. We will not position gentle care as an alternative to a procedure a specialist has recommended, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
- We do not manage hearing concerns. Persistent fluid can affect hearing and speech development, and that needs audiology and medical follow-up.
The Anatomy That Makes Toddler Ears Difficult
Ear infections in young children are largely a plumbing and anatomy story.
- The eustachian tube runs from the middle ear down to the back of the throat, draining fluid and equalizing pressure
- In an adult it is long and angled steeply downward, so gravity helps. In a toddler it is shorter, narrower, and much more horizontal — fluid sits rather than runs out
- The tube does not open passively. Small muscles at the back of the palate, principally the tensor veli palatini, pull it open every time your child swallows or yawns
- Those muscles are supplied by nerves that pass through the base of the skull and are influenced by the tension of surrounding soft tissue
- The usual contributors: constant viral colds from daycare, enlarged adenoids sitting at the tube opening, allergies, bottle feeding while flat, and secondhand smoke. Several are things you can change, and none of them are chiropractic.
- Where structure enters is at the base of the skull and the upper neck, where those nerves travel
Our Narrow Role, Honestly Described
Given all of that, here is what we actually do.
- Assess the upper cervical spine and base of the skull for restriction
- Assess jaw and palate-region soft tissue tension — the same mechanical neighborhood as swallowing
- Look at how your child holds her head
- Check overall nervous-system tension with an INSiGHT scan
- Where we find restriction, we gently address it. The intent is to support normal movement and drainage mechanics and reduce physical tension — not to act on the infection, because it cannot.
- Some parents report their child seems more comfortable or sleeps better through an ear-heavy stretch. That is what parents report, not an outcome we can produce or promise — we have no way of knowing what would have happened anyway, and neither does anyone selling you a stronger version of this claim.
- Our nutritionist and health coach, Karen Crockett, CHP, can talk with your family about nutrition and lifestyle more broadly. That is general wellness guidance, not immune therapy and not a plan for treating infection.
Working Alongside Your Pediatrician
We want your pediatrician in the loop, and we mean that as a working arrangement rather than a disclaimer.
- Tell them you are bringing your child here
- Keep every follow-up, including the recheck after an infection to see whether fluid has cleared
- Finish any prescribed antibiotic all the way to the end, even if your child seems fine on day three
- Keep the hearing test and keep the ENT appointment
- Take questions about how often antibiotics are being used to your pediatrician directly — it is a reasonable question they answer every week, and not one we should be answering for you
- If your child is in the middle of an acute, painful ear infection, the right first call is your doctor. We are happy to see her once she is comfortable and being managed.
See a medical provider right away if you notice
- Any fever of 100.4°F or higher in a baby under 3 months old — go to the ER or call your pediatrician immediately, do not wait
- Ear pain with high fever, a stiff neck, severe headache, confusion, or a rash that does not fade under pressure — emergency care now
- Swelling, redness, or tenderness of the bone behind the ear, or an ear that is pushed outward — go to the emergency room, this can be mastoiditis
- Fluid, pus, or blood draining from the ear
- Facial weakness or drooping on the same side as the affected ear — emergency care
- A child who is lethargic, difficult to wake, floppy, or refusing all fluids
- Any concern that your child is not hearing well, is not responding to her name, or has stalled or lost speech — ask your pediatrician for a hearing evaluation
- Ear pain that is severe or not improving after 48 to 72 hours, or infections that keep returning — see your pediatrician, this is a medical decision point about antibiotics or an ENT referral
Common questions
Can chiropractic care cure or prevent my child's ear infections?
No. Chiropractic care does not treat, cure, or prevent ear infections, and we will not imply otherwise. Infections are medical, and they belong with your pediatrician. What we assess is upper neck and cranial mechanics and overall nervous-system tension, and what we gently address is restriction we find there.
Should we skip the antibiotics and try this instead?
Absolutely not, and please do not read anything on this page that way. Whether your child needs antibiotics, and whether watchful waiting is appropriate, is a decision for your pediatrician who has actually looked in her ear. Finish any prescribed course completely. If you have questions about antibiotic use, ask your doctor. They are the right person to answer it.
The ENT recommended tubes. What do you think?
We think you should talk to the ENT. That recommendation comes from an examination and a history we do not have, often including hearing test results. We will not present gentle care as an alternative to a procedure a specialist has recommended, and we would be uneasy about any clinic that did.
Can we come in while she is on antibiotics?
Usually yes, as long as she is comfortable enough for a visit and her medical care is being followed. If she is in real pain or running a fever today, stay home and see your doctor. We will still be here next week.
What would actually make a difference at home?
Talk to your pediatrician about the things with real evidence behind them: staying current on recommended vaccines, avoiding all secondhand smoke, holding your baby upright rather than flat when bottle feeding, and addressing allergies if she has them. Those are their conversations, and they matter more than anything we could tell you.
This page is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Chiropractic care does not treat or cure disease; it supports the function of the nervous system and spine. Please speak with your pediatrician or a licensed clinician about your family's specific situation, and seek immediate care for any urgent symptom.