Children’s Health

Many people ask whether it is appropriate for children to receive chiropractic care. Not only is it appropriate, it is necessary for the proper development of a child's spine. Given the tremendous amounts of falls and mishaps children experience as they grow, there is a great probability of minor injuries occurring. We call them minor injuries, because in most cases, children get the type of injuries that are not causing them significant pain at the time of injury. However, these minor injuries, if left untreated can accumulate over the years until such time that a more significant health issue is evident. Dorland's Medical dictionary describes health in part as not just the absence of pain, but a state of wellness.

Gentle chiropractic adjustments of a child's spine will aid in keeping the spine mobile and in its best possible functional position. This, along with the proper additional support from the child's pediatrician allows for a team approach to healthcare. This is an approach that works well for the child because various different health philosophies and treatment are used for the child's best health interest.

An analogy that seems appropriate at this point of our discussion: It is better to prevent a sapling from growing bent, than to attempt to straighten out an old tree.

In today's world, with the health advances in all professions, it is not necessary for our children to suffer with the same difficulties of past generations.

Children and Back Injuries
Children have an extremely busy play life. Day in and day out, the consistent playing, wrestling, and other childhood events cause misaligned spinal columns that go undetected for months and even years. Over time common signs and symptoms that may result begin to appear: fever, croup, poor posture, loss of hearing, sore throat, neck aches, skin disorders, consistent cough, poor coordination, and the list goes on and on.

Chiropractic And The Link To Healthier Children
Parents are so concerned about regular checkups for their child's eyes, teeth, hearing, ears, and heart but never even think about a spinal checkup. The spinal checkup could pose as the most important checkup a child could ever receive! A child's spine contains their entire life-their spinal column. The spinal column contains billions of nerve fibers that consistently send messages along with energy from the brain to all parts of their body.

Nerve Blockage In A Child's Spine
If nerve blockage is present along the spinal cord, or any nerve damage at all, a child then falls into a state of disease. Disease is described by chiropractors as disharmony in the body. This will eventually result in a child becoming weak, having a lowered resistance to disease. The result-sickness.

Children's Spines Are Very Vulnerable To Injury
A child's spine is very vulnerable to injury. In harsh cases, "whiplash shake syndrome", when a baby is shaken severely, can cause such damage as eye or brain injury.

Physical And Psychological Benefits
Correcting a child's spine of vertebral subluxations can have a most beneficial effect on their lives. For many years parents have noticed positive changes in their child's physical health, behavior and emotional states after a chiropractic adjustment.

Warning Signs
Due to the fact that your child may have spinal subluxations and you are unaware of it, it is highly recommended that all children receive regular spinal checkups.
The following are warning signs that the spinal column may be out of alignment:

A visit to the chiropractor is highly recommended for children of all ages to ensure a healthy spine which is free from nerve compression. The earlier, the better!

A useful resource for more information on children and Chiropractic is: The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association - http://www.icpa4kids.com. This site contains articles regarding specific conditions involving children’s health, as well as peer reviewed research articles supporting chiropractic care for children.