There are a variety of reasons that kids should see a chiropractor. Once we identify the risk factors for kids to develop a loss of strength, flexibility and alignment in their spine, which lead to vertebral subluxations, then we can better understand the importance of gentle chiropractic adjustments and chiropractic care.
The stress inducing variables mentioned below are depriving kids of the movement their growing bodies are craving and the natural process that would unfold if they weren’t being impacted from such an early age, by the technologies and poorly designed transportation designs that adults use with them. For example, the stroller puts a toddler in a flexed position where they are losing the lumbar curve that they had just developed during the period of time they were learning to crawl. This inhibits the amount of blood flow through their body, adds pressure to their developing spine and negatively affects digestive health. In addition, kids are being given the privilege to use cell phones and play handheld video games at earlier and earlier ages, which challenges the strength of curve in their cervical spine that was recently created when they began lifting their head. This also decreases blood flow to the body and decreases the shock absorption in the spine, leading to increases in proneness to injury and susceptibility to breathing difficulty.
When we begin to analyze the personal and environmental factors that cause stress to a rapidly maturing body and the compounding effects of modern equipment (i.e strollers, chairs, computers, etc.) that are used to nurture children throughout all stages of development, there is no question that a more holistic approach is needed for the kids of today. Chiropractic fits perfectly because the areas of the spine that are not functioning the way they were designed to can be addressed through simple, safe and specific adjustments that can get the spine and nervous system shifted in a way that is positive for the general health and wellbeing of the kids. Once the spine is functioning more optimally, the holistic chiropractic model empowers kids to trust in themselves, learn healthy lifestyle habits and strategies to adapt as they endure the normal discomforts of growing up (i.e pain and challenging situations).
By sustaining a healthy functioning spine and nervous system, the children will be given an opportunity to grow up embracing the wisdom of their body and better understanding how to take care of themselves because they learned how to be healthy. Children who grow up learning valuable life skills on how to care for their body from a Doctor of Chiropractic are given a chance to excel in the classroom, in sports and other recreational activities such as dance, music and creative writing.
