I’m a mom and a proud owner and provider of a family chiropractic practice where we care for adults of all ages, pregnant and nursing moms AND children. One of the most common questions I get in the office when kids are on the table, is “Why do kids need Chiropractic adjustments?” So let me try to shed some light on this important topic. Because when parents understand the “WHY”, it can change the entire trajectory of their children’s health and life.
The first reason parents bring their kids in to be adjusted is for wellness. Parents who understand that when the nervous system is working at its highest level, the entire body functions better. So my parents who get adjusted regularly for maintaining optimal health, have chosen to have their kids checked for the same purpose. These families are choosing a natural form of healthcare to improve their level of healthiness.
The second reason kids get adjusted is because of an issue they’re having with health or body mechanics. Some parents are seeking a natural or conservative way to care for their children. Nowadays people google health related issues, and when looking for natural and conservative ways to best care for babies suffering from colic or gastric reflux, ear infections or bed wetting , sleep related issues or simply a structural issues such as neck pain or back pain, the treatment of chiropractic usually comes up.
In my office we are commonly seeing more younger children with neck and arm/wrist pain due to excessive time spent using technology or playing video games. And just like many adults, they often continue to get their kids adjusted long after the initial presenting issue is rectified. Kids generally respond favorably to chiropractic care in a short timespan because their spinal misalignment hasn’t been there as long as an adult’s has.
Optimal nervous system function – The nervous system consists of the spinal cord and verves which allow for communication to all parts of the body. The brain sends messages down the spinal cord, out through the nerves to every muscle, gland and organ and tells it what to do. Consequently, these muscle, glands and organ send messages back to our brain thus allowing for information to be received by the brain. Your nervous system functions 24 hours a day , 7 days a week while you’re asleep or awake. You live and experience your life through this nervous system. The better this system functions, the better it sets up for a strong foundation of health for each individual. This is true for all ages groups – newborn to 99.
Natural pain relief – Chiropractic adjustments are gentle alignments which restore range of motion in the spinal and extremity joints. When proper motion is restored in a misaligned joint, muscles stop guarding or splinting, inflammatory processes decrease, and pain receptors settle down. Together these things help the body to heal and restore normal function. When we allow the body to do what it is capable of, naturally, we help to promote internal health and longevity of the body.
Adjustments are based on the individual. There are many different types of techniques in our tool box from which to choose from, depending on the individual’s need. We use different styles for different patient needs. This translates the same way for kids. Some kids tolerate a gentle manual style of alignments, and others respond better to low force Activator which is a hand held instrument.
When working with kids, we use different amounts of force used because their bodies are smaller and they are still in growth periods. To the untrained eye it may look very similar to an adjustment rendered for an adult, meaning the setup or positioning may look similar to an adults, but the delivery of the adjustment is extremely gentle and effective and produces phenomenal results.
Kids have spines too and there’s no better way to improve their nervous system the best start as to have them checked right from birth. But it’s never too late to start with regular chiropractic adjustments. What better gift to give your child, than lifelong health and wellness. If you wish to have your child checked, please contact our office to schedule a consultation appointment.