Dr. Kevin was born and raised in Troy, Michigan.  He attended Life University in Atlanta, GA where he earned a bachelor degree in science and then went on to earn a doctorate of chiropractic.  He started Thrive In Line Chiropractic in Shelby Township, Michigan in 2009.  He is one of 12 practitioners in the state of Michigan to utilize the Gonstead technique which relies on instrumentation, x-ray and motion palpation to analyze the spine for subluxations.  The Gonstead method is a very specific technique with the intention behind every adjustment to move only the fixated bone in a precise vector determined by x-ray analysis.   With this specific approach, combined with conservative adjusting and careful documentation of each segment adjusted, Dr. Kevin is able to eliminate variables and customize each patient's care for the fastest results.  Dr. Kevin specializes in family care and pediatric chiropractic, but sees patients of all ages.  Dr. Kevin is a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, The Michigan Association of Chiropractors, and The International Chiropractic Association.

Dr. Kevin Michaels
InternetMom.org is designed for informational,educational, and personal purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you suspect you have a health problem, contact your chiropractor, midwife, or holistic pediatrician.
Innate Motherhood would like to thank Dr. Kevin Michaels for his committment to pediatric chiropractic, as we support   
       chiropractors who are changing the world, one child, and one family at a time!

      If Dr. Kevin is not in your area, we recommend finding an ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association Chiropractor )           in your city.






It is important to realize that children don’t have to be out shoveling snow to get subluxated.  Kids learning to walk do enough falling in one day to beat a year’s worth of falls in an adult.  Not every fall will cause an injury, but the odds are, due to sheer number of accidents that there will always be a few that cause nerve interference, whether or not your child displays symptoms.  Falls aren’t the only reason that children should be checked by a chiropractor either.  Anyone who has witnessed the birth process has seen with their own eyes the stresses and strains that an infant endures right from the start.  Misalignments of the spine can occur even before birth due to improper infant positioning in utero.    And children find more innovative ways to hurt themselves as they grow.  Kids engage in numerous activities that can potentially damage their spine and nervous system.  Activities such as learning to ride a bike, climbing trees, playing sports and cheerleading can all result in injuries that if left uncorrected can accumulate and cause problems in the future.  Even poor postural habits from spending too much time at a school desk or in front of a computer or TV can be detrimental to the spine.


Many people are aware of the benefits that chiropractic care offers to adults.    Most people think, and correctly so, that chiropractic is a noninvasive method of achieving pain relief caused by overuse or trauma to the back or neck.  And since there aren’t too many children with strained backs from working in the yard, children would never need to see a chiropractor, right?  In reality, quite the opposite is true.  While chiropractic is very effective at alleviating musculoskeletal problems, there is much more to it than just pain relief.  Chiropractic care will help your child prevent injuries from everyday life as a kid, help to identify and correct spinal alterations like scoliosis, and improve their overall physical and mental health on every level.

Chiropractors are able to provide these great benefits to your child through the evaluation and correction of subluxations.  A subluxation is caused from a spinal bone that has fallen out of proper alignment and become fixated.  This causes a lack of joint motion resulting in inflammation which creates pressure on the adjacent nerves exiting the spinal column and disrupting their transmissions.    Yes, this nerve interference can result in pain in the low back, but only a small portion of the spinal nerve actually transmits pain.  The majority of the nerves control and regulate almost every function in the body.  From the itch on your little toe, to the regulation and secretion of digestive enzymes in your small intestine, the nervous system is the body’s line of communication to the brain, and the brain monitors and controls all systems in the body.  So while the benefit of chiropractic is obvious to the patient whose pain is relieved, it can be more subtle to someone who is not in pain.  And because not all nerve interference results in pain, your child may be subluxated and show no outward symptoms.  Although these misalignments may be very subtle, they may still have a great impact on a child’s health.  Subluxations have been linked to serious conditions such as asthma, infantile colic, ear infections, bed wetting and allergies.  Even sudden infant death syndrome has been linked to depressed respiratory activity due to spinal injury.  In every case, the brain can no longer effectively communicate with the body to coordinate defenses against disease.  The clinical manifestation is determined by which spinal nerve is affected and to what degree. 
Fortunately, children are much more resilient than adults and therefore heal much faster.  But injuries will always heal in one of two ways.  They will either heal in the right position or misaligned.  Doctors of chiropractic are trained to evaluate and identify exactly how a previous injury has healed and whether or not it is disrupting the adjacent spinal nerves.

Some people may worry if chiropractic is safe for children.  But because chiropractic is the largest and most regulated health care profession next to mainstream medicine, one can be assured that it is both safe and extremely beneficial for children.  A chiropractor’s method of adjusting an infant or young child is very different than that of an adult.  When performing a pediatric adjustment only the slightest pressure is used with a fingertip in a “set and hold” manner. This method is very effective for infants because the anatomy of their spine is different than that of adults.  Infants and children also have an advantage over their older counterparts which is time.  Almost every adult has had an injury to their spine throughout the course of their life.  In most cases, these injuries have healed improperly and have been left uncorrected for years.  As time moves on, the surrounding muscles and ligaments that attach to the misaligned spinal bones adapt to the improper position and lengthen and tighten accordingly.  Attempts to realign the bones are met with resistance by the muscles from years of improper training.  This is not the case with children.  They are too young for the muscles and ligaments to have accommodated for the misalignment and therefore children hold the adjustment far better than an adult.
It is important for people of all ages to see a chiropractor to ensure their spine and nervous system are healthy and functioning properly.  It is especially important for a child to see a chiropractor to ensure that their spine is aligned throughout the growth and development process.  After consideration of the effects of a subluxation over time it is easy to see the benefits of having your children checked as soon as possible.  There is an old saying “as the twig grows so does the tree”.  It is never too soon to get checked.  So take your child to a pediatric chiropractor today!
Chiropractic and Children
By Dr. Kevin Michaels