Does this sound typical for a chiropractor adjustment?

[heartmama]

Ds has migranes and had a chiropractor adjust several vertebrae in his back 6 months ago, which stopped the headaches. They came back last week and so we tried a new chiro (the first one was very far away and we did not like his personality). This new one wanted to adjust ds' neck which made me uneasy, so he did it on me first to get me past thinking it would hurt. I laid on my back, he kind of tilted my head so that my ear was close to the shoulder on that side, and gave a small jerk that made several popping sounds in my neck. He did it on both sides, it did not hurt, just was surprising. I have been to a chiro before but never had that specific adjustment done.

Ds, who is 6, seemed okay with trying, and as he was coming down with a migrane that day, I was willing to do something that could stop it. He did the neck adjustment on one side with ds. Ds was so surprised by the popping noise that he got up and said he was done (did not want to do the other side) he seemed happy but then said his neck hurt, which freaked me out. Then I asked if he meant it actually hurt or that he was just not expecting the popping. He said it did not "hurt" he was just very surprised by hearing the popping sounds. He seemed happy. Then he said he liked the chiropractor (he never likes them, that was new) and was willing to do another adjustment on another day.

His headache went away within the hour, which was awesome. We are supposed to go back on Friday for another adjustment.

But I need some feedback!! Does this all sound normal to others who have done chiro work on their kids? The last chiro wanted to lay him on his side with his head on a special headrest at the top of the table, which would drop an inch when he pressed on ds' neck. He said the dropping mechanism prevented him from pressing too hard on ds' neck when he adjusted it. This dropping mechanism scared ds and freaked me out and we did not do it. I could just see it malfunctioning and falling to the floor and ds' head getting whiplash or something.

I think this new guy is doing essentially the same treatment without the "falling headrest". Any work on ds' neck makes me very nervous. I really need feedback!!

Thanks in advance....

Heartmama

[Jazmommie]

My chiro adjusts me & my 3 kids-14,10 & 3 years old.
He usually does pop our necks & our backs both.Where ever we are out of wack.
There are lots of ways to do that-at times he uses a hand held tool to help pop the vertebre.

It helps my migraines.

[kykarraliv]

My dd chiropractor does the exact neck adjustment you talk about. She started going to him because she fell down the stairs and renched her back. My dd is 16 and she says she feels better when he does that. She has been going regularly once a week for 2 months now and her neck no longer makes that loud popping noise because it is starting to stay in alingment. One good side affect is her she has not had any asthma attacks since being adjusted She did have one attack when a lady who was smoking asked my dd what was wrong when she started coughing around the smoke and my dd told she had asthma and the cig. smoke was bothering her. The lady took a long drag off her cig. and blew the smoke directly in my dd face on purpose! She did have a full blown attack then! I would have started coughing and choking then too and I don't have asthma. This happened while she was working so I never saw the lady. Any way off topic. Just wanted you to know my dd has been adjusted the same way.

[sarenka]

I have the same "neck clicks" you describe, and sometimes it is sore afterwards. I only go to the chiropractor when i have problems with my back, but I also get migraines and i had no idea this could be related to my neck! wow! so maybe i should go more often to keep that neck in place? What do you think?!

[mirtodd]

My husband performs his cervical adjustments on our kids that way- he'll often tickle them to distract them and then he follows through with his thrust. He does not use any drop pieces, I use pelvic drop pieces on my larger patients(usually those over 200 lbs), but have never done them on kids. Most children are fairly hypermobile, and if you take the joint to tension, it will go with very little thrust.
Mir

[Hera]

I get headaches which are helped immensly by the neck-popping thing. It is always a big surprise, and sometimes almost-hurts while the nerves are getting used to the new bone position. It isn't really pain though, just a little wierd and surprising for an instant.

How awful Kim, I can't believe anyone would be so rude!

[symbiosis]

We go to our chiro once a week. My youngest dd, 21-months-old, has been getting "adjustments" since birth. It's so funny to see her climb up on the table and get into position all without prompting. She loves it.

The neck noise can be startling though. My neck is always so out of whack that I get a fairly good cracking noise going.

One of the reasons it may hurt afterwards is because the neck has been in an improper position, and used to that position, so when it's corrected it feels sore. Does that make sense?

[heartmama]

Wow thanks for all the replies.

Ds has had a full adjustment since the first one and it went fine. He has had no migranes since the first adjustment I wrote about.

We go again next week.

Thanks again for all the advice!

P.S. Sarenka I am surprised your chiro never asked you about the migranes. Chiro is very effective at treating migranes for a lot of people...

Heartmama