Why Your Active Kid Needs Chiropractic Care

By Krista Elliott

A friend of mine had a terrible scare a couple of weeks ago. Her 5-year old fell off the monkey bars at preschool and landed on the side of his head. A trip to the emergency room later, and they learned that several of the vertebrae in his neck were over-rotated, with some vertebrae actually being chipped. 

Scary stuff. Fortunately, the little guy is on the mend and has been given a clean bill of health. However, odds are that this injury will come back to haunt him later in life and that he will require routine chiropractic adjustments. And this was just from falling off the monkey bars.

Child's Play

Kids are ROUGH. My own young boys slam each other around so much, I'm surprised Vince McMahon doesn't pop out from behind a door to present one of them with a large, shiny belt. But, I'm okay with some horseplay and roughhousing and accept the scrapes and bumps that come with an active childhood. 

My friend's son's accident, however, got me to wondering about the boys' spines. They haven't had any major accidents (touch wood) but goodness knows they haven't spent their childhood in a bubble, either. For all I know, their young joints could have subluxations and restrictions that I don't know about, and that aren't presenting much of a problem now, but that could be a problem down the road. 

The More You Grow

Getting routine adjustments to offset the effects of childhood shenanigans becomes even more important when you think about the fact that kids grow. Rapidly. Their entire musculoskeletal system is in a period of incredibly rapid growth. Any subluxations or muscular imbalances can very easily affect your child's frame as he or she grows. This makes it harder for them to practice good biomechanics as an adult, much the same way in that it is difficult to straighten a plant that has grown in a crooked direction. As well, it can cause increasing discomfort and joint restrictions as the child gets older and loses some natural flexibility. 

Is it Safe? 

Keep in mind that chiropractic treatment for children is not the same as it is for adults. At The Joint Chiropractic, adjustments for children are gentle and precise, and often involve gentle changes to the child's body position to help the subluxated joints attain the proper positioning. 

With regular chiropractic treatment from The Joint, your kids can grow up with not just a solid foundation, but a solid frame with which to take on the world. 

To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.