It is not surprising that more children are being brought to the chiropractic office for examination and treatment. The parents who bring these kids to the chiropractors are beneficiaries of the effective treatment of their own nerve-related disorders or dysfunctions in the musculoskeletal system. Their positive experiences are what compel them to let their children receive the same important benefits from chiropractic care.
Could there be reasons for children to be introduced to chiropractic check-up? A lot. And these are caused by the traumas in a child’s daily life. The spinal column consists of 26 vertebral bones which can be misaligned or jammed causing minor spinal disorder called spinal subluxations.
Reasons for Bringing Children for Chiropractic Care
Normally, an infant’s spine develops perfectly by the end of pregnancy. It is at the time of birth and the months after that that the normal functioning of the spine may be upset.
Common causes of a baby’s spinal segments being pushed out of place or jammed are its position in the womb, the trauma of the trip from the womb to the birth canal, long labor and use of forceps during the delivery.
Spinal problems that the infant may have during its first months may come from frequent falls, sudden stop in a car, fall from a bed, and other sudden movements in the head and neck of the infant that may cause excessive movement in the spine inducing vertebral subluxations. Frequent falls from a child’s attempt at walking can induce trauma to the lower spinal segment and the joints of the pelvis. Young children learning to walk may also fall and hit their heads. This, too, may create spinal subluxations.
Recognizing Spinal Problems in Children
It is difficult for parents to fully recognize whether a child has spinal subluxations. An experienced chiropractor would be able to easily do that. Parents should however watch out for signs or symptoms that a child may be needing a visit to the chiropractic office for evaluation.
Common signs parents may look for which are indicators of a child having spinal problems are:
- The child’s head always tilts to one side
- Infant having difficulty nursing at the breast on one particular side
- Feeding difficulties in young infants
- Restricted head or neck motion to one side
- Disturbed sleeping patterns – sleeping only one to two hours at a time
- Persistent soar throat, earaches, headaches, bed-wetting and growing pains
Chiropractic Treatment of Children
The chiropractor will first make a detailed assessment of your child’s spine. Chiropractors are trained to provide chiropractic care for pediatric problems of the spine. They will use specific, gentle skills to identify, assess, and apply treatment to affected spinal areas.
Very light finger-tip adjustments, with two pounds of pressure or less are usually applied for children and infants to correct malfunctioning spinal structures. The treatment does not hurt the child or infant though the latter may be frightened at the moment and cry for a few seconds. Depending on the child’s spinal condition, the chiropractic treatment may take only a few sessions.
The risk of a child suffering a permanent injury form the treatment is extremely rare. Chiropractic has an excellent safety record on child treatment in a century.
There are very justifiable reasons to bring children for chiropractic evaluation and care. Chiropractors are the best specialists to provide health care to children and help them especially with their conditions associated with the spine and nerve functions.