Why Does My Child Need Chiropractic Care?

You'll probably never see your five- or six-year-old bend over to pick up a toy and freeze in pain saying “Oh my back went out again.” Spinal degenerations and vertebral subluxations that cause that kind of pain will generally not appear in children- but it started there.

Birth Trauma

Natural childbirth has come to mean many different things, but let's keep it simple and say that it is a drug free, vaginal delivery. Even with no pitocin, no epidural, the mother walking regularly to help the contractions, and no extraction methods being used, childbirth causes stress to a still developing spine.

Add to this the improper lifting of the child out of a car seat or during a diaper changing. Minor spinal traumas such as these are occurring that affect the spine and nervous system, interfering with your child’s normal healthy function, and causing common newborn health complaints:

-colic

-unexplained crying

-poor appetite

-earaches or ear infections

-colds

-allergic reactions

Childhood Trauma

During the first few years of life, children will develop from helpless infants into fearless adventurers. Bumps and falls naturally come with your child's desire to learn everything about the world around them in the quickest amount of time possible, but these bumps and falls will cause trauma to the spine. When spinal bones lose their normal position or ability to move during this stage of tremendous physical growth, possible permanent deformities can occur. Left uncorrected, these small cumulative traumas can leave far reaching effects. While a doctor of chiropractic doesn't treat or cure illnesses, many common childhood disorders may be the result of nervous system interference or malfunction caused by spine related problems, such as hyperactivity learning disorders bed wetting allergies asthma this is just the tip of the iceberg, but appropriate chiropractic care can help locate and correct these problems and restore normal spinal and nervous system function.

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care

Even as the public is becoming more aware of the benefits of early detection and care of the vertebral subluxation complex, the odds are that you are looking for pain relief for yourself as an adult when you first went to see your chiropractor.

During your initial examination it's possible that a certain phase of degeneration was detected. If you were informed that you are at phase 1, then the original damage to your spine was likely 10 to 20 years ago. If you were at phase 2, the original damage to your spine was probably about 20 to 40 years ago. Basically, if you first saw your chiropractor when you were in your late 20s and you were at a phase 1 of degeneration, then the damage to your spine originated when you were a child.

So, the most obvious answer to the question of why your child may need chiropractic care is avoid having your child suffer the same pain that first brought you in to see a chiropractor.

Spinal problems that go undetected or neglected in children become more serious problems as adults.

In Summary

As a chiropractic patient you're already aware of the benefits of chiropractic care. You've experienced for yourself the relief that comes from having a properly aligned spine.

Give your child the opportunity that you weren't given to benefit from the body’s innate ability to heal itself and grow up with a healthy spine and nervous system.

Dr. Yen Nguyen

Chiropractor

Integrative Nutrition Health Coach