For more than a decade, chiropractors have not only been caring for adults but children as well. Actually, the most common ailments that affect children respond will respond this natural and safe form of healthcare. Studies show that patients who have sought for this treatment in early ages tend to seek for this care for their children. In this article, we are going to cover all the information you need to know about chiropractic care for children.

Exactly what does chiropractic mean?

For most of us, Greek words have remained a mystery. However, since these are the most terms that we come across when it comes to medicine, it is crucial to understand what they mean. While the word may sound strange, Chiropractic simply means the relationship between the spine and our nervous system. When it comes to chiropractic, it is a common belief that the spine dysfunction is directly related to the dysfunction of the nervous system. As you probably know, our nervous system is responsible for controlling and coordination of all the body system. For this reason, a dysfunction of the spine may lead to various effects that will affect your health. Chiropractors are specially trained so that they can evaluate and give the patient solution to counteract the dysfunction of the spine.

Why do some children require chiropractic treatment?

As the child grows, they may encounter various physical stresses. In most cases, these issues may develop at any stage as the child grows. In fact, the child is predisposed to abnormal growth of the spine as early as in the utero stage. If you are a mom or aspiring to be one, you may have heard of the fetal positions that lead to issues with labor. This may be associated with various conditions including the breech, brow, transverse, asynclitic, as well as posterior.

The fetal position will not only cause the discomforts in the expectant mothers but may also lead to the development of various problems in the spine of the baby. When the baby is positioned incorrectly in the mother’s womb, it can lead to some of the spinal segments being pushed out of place or being jammed in the womb. When this happens, even the natural birth methods that have been used from time immemorial can lead to the stressing of the toddler’s spine as well as nervous system. This may also lead to other issues including induction, ventouse suction, cesarean section, as well as forceps. The cesarean section which is an increasing choice all around the world may appear to offer the least to the child birth. However, according to research, it shows that this method may create additional traumas that may compromise the baby’s well being.

It is important to note that most of the health issues that affect the new-borns including the reflux, colic, disturbance in sleep, difficulties in breastfeeding as well as chronic infections are often traced to the nervous system irritation that arises because of the cranial and spinal misalignments.

Because the spinal trauma may occur at birth or before to birth, it is important for every parent to request a spine check for their child right after birth. Most of the development milestones including how to hold your baby’s head, sitting up, crawling all the way to the baby walking are affected by the baby alignment. For this reason, it is always crucial for your child to be checked by a chiropractor. Some of the other physical stresses that may affect your child’s growing spine, as well as the nervous system, will involve sports injuries, falls, heavy school backpacks, playground bumps as well as sitting for long during the day.

Importance of Chiropractic Care 

When you take your child to a chiropractor, the first thing that he/she will do is to conduct a thorough history of the child’s health by looking at the complaints. The chiropractic will also do a complete physical examination of your child’s examination. If you have visited a licensed practitioner, these individuals are trained to evaluate any pediatric problems affecting the spine of your children. These practitioners will use gentle and specific skills to find the issues affecting the spine of your child.

Chiropractic care is always customized to fit the individuals. For this reason, I always use tailor-made service as well as a gentle adjustment that will fit your child’s spine needs.

Another important thing to note is that a child’s and infant’s spinal adjustments require light fingertip pressure so that the spinal misalignments can be corrected. As with everything else, the young have delicate spines. For this reason, only minimal force (finger touch) is required to restore the mobility to the spinal joints that may have become locked, leading to the interference of the normal functioning of the nervous system. Sometimes there is a popping sound when the adjustments of the child’s spine misalignments are being the done. However, this is not always the case, especially if your child is very young. In addition, the chiropractors may also use other techniques involving the use of certain instruments that are handheld. These instruments will offer customized service as well as gentle correction.

Does the exercise hurt?

Most often, The chiropractic care for children is painless except in cases where the child has an injury. When the child has already developed an injury to the spine, he/she may be sensitive to the touch of the affected area. However, when the correction is done correctly, the area will heal effectively alleviating the sensitivity. Basing our arguments on the medical data available, most parents have reported that most children enjoy the spinal adjustments and are not afraid when visiting the chiropractor the following times.

How long does it take?

Similar to other medical practices, a child’s spine often responds faster to this adjustment than adults do. This means that it will require a few adjustments for the child to get the normal functioning of the spine. However, the number of the adjustment is determined by various factors such as the time that the problem has affected the child.

Is the exercise safe?

The core principle of adjusting the spine is to help the child lead a healthy life. For this reason the risk of the child suffering a serious injury from adjustments of the spine are minimal. The practice has been done for more than a century and has an excellent record when it comes to safety. This has been proved by a recent study conducted by The ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association) that showed only a couple of children out of more than 10,000 had experienced slight discomforts after the exercise. According to this data, chiropractic care is safe.

How to Tell When My Child Has Spinal Problems

It is not easy for a parent/guardian to tell when a child has spine issues unless there is a physical condition that shows that the spine is not working properly. However, the following signs may indicate issues with the spine:

  • Difficulties in breastfeeding when the child is very young
  • Disturbed sleeping patterns
  • Having one shoulder that is much higher than the other
  • Restriction of neck or head to only one side

Some of the other disorders that may also be associated with the dysfunction of the spine include:

  • Persistent sore throats and colds
  • Recurring ear infections
  • Asthma
  • Reflux/ colic
  • Headaches
  • Growing pains
  • Scoliosis
  • ADHD

The most common reason why guardians/parents seek chiropractic care is when they note a physical trauma or injury in the spine of their child. It is important to note that it is not always the case that spinal misalignment will lead to pain. For this reason, as a parent, you should be on the lookout for the chemical and emotional stress that may affect your child’s nervous system. Additionally, ensuring that you take your child for regular chiropractic check-ups will help in identifying the potential dysfunction of the spine that may result because of these stresses. Doing so will help the chiropractors to adjust the spine accordingly for the well-being of your child. Contact us today to schedule a consult if you are in the greater Austin, TX area.

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