Chiropractic Care for the Whole Family Part 3: Children and Teenagers

It is in childhood were some of our postural habits start to form and early injuries happen that can have a direct effect on our spine.  This is a time where early injures can set the stage for a future chronic problem. Taking care of children and teenagers is mostly about working to prevent a loss of the normal upright posture and spinal alignment to be keep their spine healthy. 

A few potential causes of injury include infant walkers and jumpers.  These place the child in an upright, weight bearing, posture well before the child's body is ready for it. This can stress the lower back and cause  or contribute to an injury called a spondylolisthesis.  This is a condition that is not always symptomatic till later in life, and something we can help manage even in early childhood.

Children can be very curious, getting themselves into situations that may result in minor injuries, but these minor injuries may have major consequences.  I am not an advocate for keeping your children from having fun, but making sure that their body, health, and spine are taken care of to prevent their various falls and bumps from becoming a more serious issue for them later in life.

There are various everyday stresses our children and teenagers are subjected to today that are effecting their spine and body development.  From carrying heavy backpacks to using the computer, playing video games, and even using small electronic devices like the Nintendo ds, apple ipods, and every mobile phone that is out there, these all contribute to poor posture.  It is important today to stress good posture for proper development and health today.  Helping to improve posture is what we are doing today for the children we see in our office. 

In the teenage years there is increased development and growth, an important time to ensure their bodies are growing the right way. As they become involved with sports and other activities we want to continue to ensure that these activities do not cause an injury to their spine and posture.  This is also the time when conditions such as scoliosis may become evident.  This is a condition too big for this post, but I will say it is something that we can successful treat with the procedures we use in the office today.   

Treating children and teenagers is safe, effective, and in our mind necessary due to the stresses kids have on their bodies today.  As with every disease process, correcting spinal posture earlier in life can lead to fewer problems as we age.  I am sure we have a few patients that see us, that if they would have known then what they know now, would liked to get their spine checked earlier in their life.   

Chiropractic care for the whole family, Part 2

Part 2, Newborns and Infants

It may seem odd, the thought of having a newborn baby or infant getting their spine checked.  On the contrary chiropractic care can have significant benefits for the newborn baby and infant as it can for the adult. As chiropractors we look to remove stress or strain on the nervous systems of babies and infants by restoring normal function and posture to the spine.  The physiology on this subject can be rather difficult to grasp, but it does exist as several studies have been able to confirm it.  In fact there is even medical literature that describes a relationship between dysfunction of the upper neck vertebrae and possible negative effects on brain stem functions.   These functions mostly are cardiac or pulmonary regulation, which is heart and lung function. This is an important area of the nervous system to have functioning properly without any stress or strain.

How can a newborn have an injury to their spine that causes stress or strain on their nervous system?  The answer can be best described in a picture.

This is the image of a C-Section birth, see how the newborn is being held up by its head.  How much stress or strain is that on its neck, spinal cord, and brain stem?  It may not take much pressure to stress or strain that babies neck so after birth is a good time to get his or her spine checked.  Even in the cases of a normal birth the head or neck may be stressed and strained, try a google images search on birth and see for yourself. 



I would like to add that I do not believe its common practice for OB's pull or twist a babies head while it is being born.  In our case, our daughter was basically caught by our OB, without the use of any aids such as forceps or a vacuum extraction.  This is a conversation that any pregnant mother should have with their OB to have the most minimally invasive birth that is possible with regards to the safety and health of both mother and baby.

Our job as chiropractors is to examine the newborn or infants for normal posture, alignment and symmetry.  We do this through observing the child in various positions.  We look for asymmetry of structure and of the spine.  When we find a need to adjust we use very light pressure, usually with just our pinkie finger or thumbs.  Babies do not need, nor do we give them, an adult type of adjustment, just a subtle correction to help reduce that stress or strain on their nervous system. 

Typically we have successfully treated babies and infants for a wide range of conditions, first and foremost is just to be certain there is no stress and strain after birth.  Besides that parents bring babies and infants in for colic, digestive problems, ear aches, coughs and colds just to name a few conditions. A lot of times, some of these symptoms have been checked out by the families pediatrician with no resolution.

Next time you come in and want to know more about how we care for babies and infants, feel free to ask us.