Children and Chiropractic: Made for Each Other
It’s a constant source of amazement of many a Nashville chiropractor why most parents will do almost anything to protect their children. At the slightest sign of a fever, off they go to the pediatrician. Little Johnny falls and cuts his knee and there they go to the emergency room to see if stitches will be necessary. One plaintive cry of “My tummy hurts” and out come the ginger ale and videos.
But what about the kid’s spine?
It’s phenomenal how many parents never think to have their child’s spine checked. Ask any Nashville chiropractor and you’ll probably get the same answer “No, not many children on my patient list.”
From Birth Onward
Subluxations occur when spinal bones are not aligned and interfere with the nerve energy from our brains. In adults we usually think of thinks like automobile accidents or lifting heavy objects as the source of subluxations. But they can and often do occur in children as well. Starting at birth.
Can you imagine an event any more traumatic than a tiny baby traveling through the birth canal? All that twisting and turning, being grabbed by forceps, and then turned upside down by the ankles. If there ever is a likely cause of subluxation, it’s birth. Yet how many newborns can a Nashville chiropractor expect to see in a year? Very few, if any.
Kidhood: A Major Cause of Subluxations
While still in babyhood, children get themselves into all sorts of weird positions. How many times have you seen a child scrunched down in a stroller, head lolled to one side, body twisted around a bottle, a teddy bear, and Mom’s sweater? It’s enough to make you wonder how the child ever learns to walk.
As kids move into becoming toddlers and preschoolers, the possibility to spinal misalignment lays in wait at every turn. Running, jumping, falling, and tumbling are all necessary to a child’s physical and mental development but they are dangerous to his spine. Sure, you might only see a slight bruise or a minor scrape but any Nashville chiropractor can tell that there’s more going on inside than outside.
Nature is a wonderful thing and many misalignments will correct themselves, but not all. They may cause problems now or they may lead to even greater problems as the child ages.
It’s Not All in the Spine, or the Mind
It’s pretty common for parents to think that if the child has some issue with the spine and its alignment, then there would be back or neck pain. Not so.
Subluxations can cause symptoms that are seemingly unrelated to the spine. Because the nerve flow is interrupted, the body gets the wrong message from the brain. Everything starts to malfunction. Earaches, especially in very small children, are a common result of misalignment. So are fevers, stomachaches, sore throats, and flu-like symptoms.
Many parents eventually see a Nashville chiropractor about their child’s overall health and are surprised to find that spinal misalignment can also contribute to other symptoms. Bedwetting, over activity, and inattention are often relieved once the child has his spine adjusted.
However, there are some children that are slow to show any signs of difficulties. In those cases, unless a regular chiropractic check up is part of the child’s health care routine, no one may know about the problem until it is well advanced. In that case, a Nashville chiropractor may have to work with the child for an extended period of time to realign the spine and get everything working properly again.
Doctor, Dentist, Chiropractor
The best way to handle your child’s overall health is to include a visit to a Nashville chiropractor at least annually. As with the pediatrician and the dentist, the chiropractor can detect existing problems and help prevent future ones.
One way to look at chiropractic health is that it’s never too late to start visiting a chiropractor. But it’s never too early either.