With all of the known and obvious benefits for children receiving regular chiropractic care why would a parent not take their child to see a chiropractor? Most often the answer boils down to no information or incorrect information.
The three most common reasons why parents don’t take their children to the chiropractor:
- They don’t know anything about Chiropractic care
- They don’t know about the benefits of regular Chiropractic care for children
- They think that a Chiropractic adjustments might be too rough for a child and cause pain or damage.
Once a person finds out about Chiropractic and begins to understand its benefits, it is point number 3 that must be understood and dispelled, as apparently, some parents think that a Chiropractic adjustment will be “too rough” for their youngster.
Chiropractors understand that all bodies are different and tailor their adjustments and the amount of pressure required based on the individual they are treating. A big football playing man in his 20s, a little old woman in her 70s and a child of 10, will all be looked at and evaluated for their individual needs.
In this way, it could be said that a Chiropractic adjustment can be as individual as a handshake. A strong man shaking hands with another strong man will give him a lot more pressure than if the same man was shaking hands with his grandmother or the child. When parents realize this and bring their child in for an adjustment, the results can be quite remarkable. Consider this case of a 7-year-old girl.
This child had been suffering from asthma since the age of 4. By the time she came to see a chiropractor, she had been treated medically with 10 different medications. Attacks of coughs and wheezing were daily occurrences. Physical activity was almost out of the question. Emergency room visits sometimes reached 5 per year. A test of lung capacity revealed she was operating at about 50 percent of her lung capacity.
An exam by her chiropractor revealed subluxations (partial dislocations) in the vertebrae at the middle of her spine. An individual program was tailored to handle these restrictions. With just one adjustment, some of the tightness in her chest disappeared and her coughing was reduced. After just 4 weeks of treatment, she was able to put aside her inhaler and get back to participating in swimming and running sports. After 3 months, her lung capacity was just about normal and all medications were stopped.
Had her parents avoided taking her to a chiropractor because of a fear that an adjustment might be too rough and cause her pain, the child might well be on her way to a dozen more medications, further restrictions of activity and even worse breathing problems.
Is Chiropractic for children too? By all means. Miracles can occur each and every day in Chiropractic with the right adjustment, tailored to the individual’s size, age, shape and need.
As your Chiropractor we are committed to helping you and your entire family achieve and maintain optimal health. Realistically, the people that have the best chance of achieving their full potential in regards to their spine, nervous system and overall health is today’s children. However, today’s lifestyle puts all children at significant risk for not achieving their full potential. Today’s research suggests that adolescent onset chronic back pain (that’s right – chronic) which historically was a conditioned reserved for adults, is now rising at an alarming rate. Over the last decade the reported cases are up over 500% as compared to the previous decade, which was up over 300% on the decade before. This doesn’t bode well for the next decade unless we take action today.
The first step is to get your childrens spine and nervous system fully evaluated by a chiropractor that is confident and comfortable working with children and I can promise that at our office we are. Once we determine the current health of your childrens spine we can develop a corrective or wellness program that is suited to their current lifestyle. We will of course encourage them to be an active participant in their health and to become more conscious about the health decisions.
Give our office a call today and get the most important spines in your family checked for subluxations.
For Your Health,
Dr. Joshua Salina