Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a new column on pediatric chiropractic. Future articles will discuss clinical / practice considerations involving the pediatric population.
Let’s talk about chiropractic in our modern times, and especially about my patients – the little ones. It’s common knowledge that chiropractic, in general, has had a colorful past. Since 1895, when D.D. Palmer is said to have founded our profession, we’ve gone from being criminals who were at times arrested for practicing medicine without a license, to being considered fringe practitioners of a pseudo-scientific type, to gaining some credibility for the treatment of low back pain and motor-vehicle accidents.
Those of us who choose to practice in a salutogenic and vitalistic way have likely given up on being the “popular kid” in the midst of the modern medical model.
And what of pediatric chiropractic? Has it opened us up to even more scrutiny and misunderstanding? As I’m writing this commentary, I’m leaning toward being “cautiously optimistic.” An MD colleague of mine used that phrase once to describe my services and it has stuck with me ever since.
I have been a chiropractor for the past 21 years, mostly in private practice in a family wellness model. I have cared for countless pregnant mothers and their babies for a variety of reasons: wellness care, breastfeeding difficulty, colic, and neurodevelopmental challenges, just to name a few. In recent years, it seems like the pendulum is swinging toward chiropractic, and our unique skills and philosophy are being valued in a bigger way than ever before.
I see several reasons for this positive swing forward. One is that information is more easily available than any other time in history. Whether or not that information is accurate, parents are actively making their own choices for their children (and not blindly following the medical model) more than ever before. Chiropractors and holistic practitioners have a much larger voice and audience in the digital age.
Top Pediatric Topics Relevant Today
Autism and Neurodevelopmental Challenges: Statistics straight from the CDC show an alarming increase of autism in American children from 1/10,000 reported in 1970 to 1/34 in 2025. This represents a 384% increase. One could argue that we’re just getting better at diagnosis and reporting; however, even with that in mind, this is still a huge concern – and parents know it.
In 2022, the CDC made significant changes to the recommendations for age-appropriate developmental milestones. All of the traditional milestones, such as rolling, sitting, standing, and walking, were pushed out to older ages. And to the great surprise of millions of parents and care providers, the all-so-important milestones of creeping and crawling were removed from the list entirely!
Why were these important measuring tools for neurological health altered? Well, it is reasonable to assume that it’s because so many children were not meeting the normal goals. If a large majority of children are delayed and therapeutic services can’t keep up, then why not just make the abnormal the new normal? More parents are paying attention, asking these questions and seeking help for their children outside of the traditional channels.
Breastfeeding: Another extremely relevant topic within pediatrics is breastfeeding. Fortunately, the medical model is (for the most part) fully in support of the WHO and AAP recommendation for breastfeeding – exclusive for the first six months of life and then continued for at least two years with the introduction of solid foods.
Tethered Oral Tissues: Similar to the rising rates of autism, another “epidemic” in the past 20 years is the diagnosis of tethered oral tissues or “tongue tie.” Studies show that since 1997, there has been an 866% increase in the surgical procedure called frenotomy, in which the frenulum of the tongue is surgically cut to release tightness or “tethering.” This number is likely very low because tit only includes the procedures performed in the hospital after the delivery and does not take into account any of the cases done privately later on.
In recent years, both the diagnosis of tethering and the incidence of frenotomies have been highly scrutinized by prominent medical bodies such as the AAP and the ABM (Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine). In July 2024, the AAP stated:
“There are no uniform accepted diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of Ankyloglossia. There is a lack of consensus for treatment of ankyloglossia, leading to wide practice variation in the United States and internationally. At the same time, the diagnosis of ankyloglossia and the frequency of performing a frenotomy has increased recently worldwide. Some medical practitioners and researchers are concerned that infants and children are being over diagnosed with ankyloglossia. Two published systematic reviews of ankyloglossia and breastfeeding have noted no clear criteria for the diagnosis of ankyloglossia and a lack of good evaluation of treatments, including frenotomy, on breastfeeding outcomes.”
The Chiropractic Opportunity
What does this have to do with chiropractic? With this medical scrutiny, these groups are recommending “conservative approaches” before resorting to surgical intervention. One of those conservative approaches is chiropractic care. The news is all over the internet, and parents are asking about it on social media and seeking our help. And it’s not just ankyloglossia. Lactation professionals, pediatric dentists and some pediatricians are referring to pediatric chiropractors for help with breastfeeding issues at increasing new volume.
These are just two examples of why this is an exciting time to care for children within a chiropractic model. I would point out that if the baby is referred for chiropractic care due to a breastfeeding challenge, that very same adjustment could also reduce the risk for neurodevelopmental challenges at the same time.
In any case, parents and the general public are scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc., and getting the information. Parents know enough to want better care; they want to have a connection and trust with their care provider. They want more for their children.
With the proliferation of the Information Age and a general mistrust of the managed (and very limited) healthcare model in our current times, I believe this is the best time for pediatric chiropractic we have ever seen.
Recent laws in New Jersey and California represent a disturbing trend that will negatively impact a practice’s ability to collect monies from patients, as well as expose them to significant penalties if the practice does not follow the mandatory guidelines to a T. Please be aware that a similar law may be coming to your state. The time to act is before the law is passed.
With estimates showing over 30 million Americans affected by peripheral neuropathy – and a significant portion underdiagnosed – it’s increasingly likely that chiropractors are already treating these patients. What’s missing is structured recognition, comprehensive management and targeted tools to slow progression, improve function and support systemic health.
Each year, ICD-10-CM is updated on Oct. 1. For 2026, there are 74,179 total codes, with 487 additions, 28 deletions and 38 revisions. Code changes are based on date of service, not the claim submission date. Services performed on/after Oct. 1 must use the new codes. While no changes affect the common spinal or extraspinal codes most frequently used by DCs, several updates may still affect your claims – particularly for comorbidities, referred pain, or trauma cases.
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