Why parents in Palm Beach Gardens bring their kids in
Kids usually get checked here for the same kind of reason adults do. Something changed, and a parent wants a second set of eyes on it. That might be a fall during the crawling or toddler years, a shoulder or hip that sits uneven after a season of travel sports, or a baby who consistently turns her head to one side. It might also be a newborn whose delivery was hard, or a teenager who's hunched over a phone for hours and now has a neck that won't loosen up. Some parents come because a pediatrician or another parent mentioned it, and some are already patients here themselves who want their other kids seen too. Almost none of them have taken a child to a chiropractor before, and that's completely normal.
Families often come in together. A parent might bring two or three kids in on the same afternoon, especially once the rest of the household is already under care. Each child gets a full exam and an adjustment scaled to his or her own size and age.
What parents actually ask before they book
- Is chiropractic safe for a baby who isn't crawling yet.
- Looking for a pediatric chiropractor near me who actually explains what they're doing.
- My toddler turns her head to one side more than the other.
- My kid plays travel sports and one shoulder sits lower than the other.
- My teenager is hunched over her phone all day and says her neck is stiff.
- Will my child need X-rays for a first visit.
What actually happens on the table
Dr. Chris uses the same Gonstead method on kids that he uses with adults, but very little else about the visit looks the same. He starts with a history and watches how your child stands, walks, and moves, then checks the spine and pelvis by hand for spots that aren't moving the way they should. He explains what he finds before he adjusts anything. For an infant or toddler, the whole exam takes just a few minutes and involves no equipment.
The adjustment is scaled to whoever is on the table. For a baby, the pressure used is light, close to what you'd use to check if a peach is ripe. For a school-age kid it's still gentle, and it increases only as the child grows, based on what that day's exam finds rather than age alone. Typically, if the exam supports it, he adjusts the same day. The second visit is the report of findings, where he sits down with you and goes over exactly what he found.
Questions people ask
- Is chiropractic safe for a newborn or infant?
- The exam and the adjustment are both scaled down for a baby. There's no cracking, twisting, or anything like what happens on an adult table. The pressure used is a small fraction of an adult adjustment, close to what you'd use to check if a peach is ripe. Dr. Chris doesn't take X-rays on newborns or infants. The visit is a hands-on exam followed by a light adjustment if the exam calls for one.
- Will my child need X-rays?
- Not for infants and newborns. Dr. Chris doesn't order films for that age group. For older kids, the first visit starts with a hands-on exam, and imaging only comes up if something in that exam calls for it, the same way it would for an adult.
- What happens at my child's first visit?
- Dr. Chris watches how your child stands, walks, and moves, then checks the spine and pelvis by hand. Typically, if the exam supports it, he adjusts that same day. The second visit is the report of findings, where he sits down with you and goes over exactly what he found and what he'd recommend from there.
- Is this covered by insurance?
- This office is direct pay and isn't in network with any insurance company, for kids or adults. HSA and FSA cards are accepted. Pricing is handled by phone, so call the office and the team will walk you through the cost for your child's visit before you book. First visits get $50 off.