Spinal checkups are important for everyone, even children. Many children have subluxations in their spine and don’t know it.
Healthier Children With Chiropractic
“Chiropractic care for my child? Why? Her back doesn’t bother her.” Many parents appreciate the importance of regular checkups for their children’s teeth, hearing and vision but draw a blank when it comes to a spinal checkup. A spinal checkup could be one of the most important checkups your children will ever have! The spine protects billions of nerve fibers that send messages and energy to every part of their bodies.
Blockages In The Spine
If there is blockage of any of the nerves along the spinal cord, any nerve damage at all, then a state of “dis-ease” can develop. Disease is a state of disharmony in the body which can lead to lowered resistance to disease, organ malfunction, sickness and disease. Blockage of nerves in the spinal column is usually caused by tiny misalignments of the spinal vertebrae called vertebral subluxations.
The First Subluxation
How can your child’s spine lose its natural alignment and develop subluxations? Vertebral subluxations have many possible causes, some of which may occur as early as labor. Injuries can occur to a baby’s spine at birth due to a breech presentation or a difficult delivery that puts too much stress on the child’s body. Health problems in childhood or even adulthood have been traced back to spinal damage at birth. Immediately after birth, damage can occur if the baby is dangled by the feet. As the famous French obstetrician Frederick Leboyer has written in Birth Without Violence:
Toddlerhood Through Childhood
Toddlerhood through childhood is a very “physical time.” Those first hesitant steps soon evolve into jumping and running, and falls and accidents are all part of a normal childhood. While most falls are minor, at times they can cause spinal and nerve-damaging vertebral subluxations with serious long-term consequences3. For that reason all children need periodic chiropractic spinal checkups.
A Family Affair
Doctors of chiropractic love to see the whole family, from babies to grandparents, coming in for spinal checkups. Many “chiropractic families” report having more energy, improved health and less dependency on drugs and medication. It is not unusual to hear parents state that since getting under chiropractic care their children get sick less frequently, less severely, have less ear infections and take less (or no) antibiotics and other drugs than their classmates.
Physical and Psychological Benefits
For decades parents, clinicians and researchers have noticed positive changes in the physical, behavioral and emotional health of children under chiropractic care. Among the observed benefits are improvements in children with hyperactivity, autism, anxiety, low mental stamina, lack of concentration, asthma and discipline problems. Improvements in grades and IQ have also been recorded. The mechanisms explaining these results are varied. There is evidence that subluxation correction improves blood flow to the brain.
Spinal Checkups Are Vital
If your child is suffering from any of the following common conditions, it is essential to get his/her spine checked for vertebral subluxations—not as a treatment for these conditions, but because all children, especially if they are ill, need healthy spines. Being free of blockages to the flow of energy and information over his/her nervous system can make a big difference in your child’s physical and emotional health.
In addition to improved physical health, chiropractic care is known to improve a child’s behavioral and emotional health.
- Arm, hand or shoulder pain
- Ear infections
- Poor concentration
- Croup
- Backaches
- Skin disorders
- Bed-wetting
- Painful joints
- Loss of hearing
- Stomachaches
- Skin conditions
- Irritability
- Sinus problems
- Headaches
- Hip, leg or foot pain
- Breast-feeding difficulties
- Poor posture
- Sore throat
- Bronchitis
- Arthritis
- Poor coordination
- Colic
- Allergies
- Weakness or fatigue
- Numbness
- Neckaches
- Vision problems
- Nervousness
- Scoliosis
- Constipation
- Eye problems
Warning Signs
Because it is possible to have subluxations yet be symptom-free, all children (and their parents!) need periodic spinal checkups. There are, however, certain warning signs indicating that the spinal column may be it of alignment:
- Fatigue
- Shoulder blades flared out
- Hyperactivity
- Frequent falling
- “Noisy bones”
- One hip or shoulder higher than the other
- Joint aches
- One arm looks shorter
- Neck tilt
- One leg looks shorter
- A foot turned in or out
Chiropractic helps ensure that your nervous system, essential for growth and healing, is subluxation-free.
Conclusion
More and more families are finding that periodic chiropractic spinal checkups for their children make a big difference in their health. Include chiropractic checkups as part of your family’s healthcare routine.
Your children need a healthy spine for a healthy life.
For your chiropractic questions or concerns, call Dr. Echols at 512-447-2422, or schedule an appointment online here:
