Child Chiropractic Check-Up
Discover the truth about Chiropractic and kids!
Chiropractic
for my child? Why? He/she doesn’t have back or neck pain.” If you are wondering about the answer to this question, you’ll want to read on.
As chiropractors, we often encounter parents who understand the importance of regular exams for their child’s eyes, ears, nose, throat, hearing, and teeth, but who overlook routine spinal check-ups. In fact, they could be the most important checkups your child can receive.
As a concerned parent, you want the best for your child and no doubt wonder if your child is as healthy as he or she could be. Several factors determine your child’s overall health. These include: diet, exercise, proper rest, emotional and spiritual support, and a properly functioning nervous system.
A major component of health is the communication between your child’s brain and body. This vital link controls the growth, repair, and function of every tissue and organ. The spinal cord sends messages from the brain throughout the body via billions of nerves. Interference (nerve pressure or irritation) places the body in a state of disharmony. This can lead to decreased immune function and sickness.
Starting with the birthing process itself, our bodies are subjected to many spinal traumas. Even the most “natural” of births can cause stress and strain to the tiny developing spine. This initial damage can be compounded when the child develops proper head support, learns to sit up, to crawl, and to walk. During this time of rapid spinal growth, any tiny bump or fall can cause unexplained health problems.
The home is the primary place where the young child receives spinal injuries. A study, conducted by the National Safety Council, discovered that nearly 50% of children fall headfirst from a high place (changing table, bed, etc.) during their first year of life. Many of these falls go undetected. Unfortunately, although no immediate symptoms may appear, spinal health can be compromised.
Ear infections, asthma, colic, ADD/hyperactivity, bedwetting, learning disorders, and other health problems result from nervous system interference called vertebral subluxation complex. Doctors of Chiropractic are the only healthcare professionals trained in the detection and correction of this problem.
School is the most common place for accidents to occur for five to eighteen year olds. A 1990 study from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner, revealed that almost a quarter of a million children under the age of 15 were treated for injuries related to playground equipment. The majority of these accidents are falls, and approximately 50% of all falls result in head and neck trauma. Bicycles are also a source of childhood trauma.
Over 50,000 children per year are treated for head (not wearing a helmet) and neck trauma. Common childhood activities including surfing, skate boarding, water slides, horseback riding, and roller-skating are often associated with falls that can cause the spinal vertebrae to lose their normal motion and position. The delicate nerve tissue housed in these bones can be damaged, impairing the brain’s ability to control the associated tissues and organs.
Children should have regular well care visits to the Doctor of Chiropractic. With appropriate chiropractic care, these spinal problems can be located and corrected, restoring normal spinal and nervous system function.
Many adult spinal problems actually began in childhood. If left uncorrected, childhood spinal problems may lead to more serious conditions later in life: “As the trunk is bent, so grows the tree.”
Today, many progressive parents are choosing conservative chiropractic care to help maximize their child’s own natural defenses. Parents of children who receive regular chiropractic care often report that their kids seem healthier than other children; they get fewer colds and other childhood diseases.
Without a properly functioning spine and nervous system, true health is impossible to achieve. Maintaining your child’s spinal health is one of the greatest gifts you can provide your child. For this reason, families are receiving routine periodic chiropractic spinal check-ups. The chiropractic approach to health is safe and natural. For these reasons and more, your chiropractor may be the best doctor to help your child! Many parents feel encouraged to have a Doctor of Chiropractic as part of their health professionals network. Contact a Chiropractor who specializes in Pediatrics and Family Care. Act today for a healthier life tomorrow!
To discover more information on current health trends, alternative health approaches, and/or information about how chiropractic can help your family, visit the “Children’s Chiropractic Information Center” of Houston at the INNATE CHIROPRACTIC HEALING ARTS CENTER, 8100 Washington Ave #210, Houston, TX 77007.
To schedule a free consultation with a chiropractic doctor who can address any questions or concerns you might have, call 713-521-2104.
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