Family Chiropractic Centre

Kids And Chiropractic Care

"Children don't get back pain," and "Why would I bring my child to a chiropractor?" are two common statements heard in discussions of children and chiropractic. What is commonly not understood is that many childhood activities can cause the bones of the spine that protect delicate nerve tissues to lose their normal motion or position. This can cause an interference with the nervous system, which controls all of the organs, tissues, and cells of the body, causing various systems throughout the body to malfunction.

A 1989 study of 316 children with infantile colic receiving chiropractic care in Denmark reported successful results in 94 percent of the cases following a two-week treatment period. In the study, 51 percent of the cases had previously had unsuccessful medical treatment, usually consisting of drug therapy. The study strongly suggests that chiropractic care for infants with colic is an effective treatment of the condition.

"Children don't get back pain" is a misguided myth.

Another Danish study reveals that there is a steep increase in the first episode of back pain for adolescent girls and boys in the 12-14 age range, and that over 50 percent of young women had their first episode by age 18. Over 50 percent of young men had their first episode by age 20.

A study in Pennsylvania showed 30.4 percent of children between the ages of 11-17 reported a history of low back pain. The researchers concluded that low back pain commences early in youth, "increases dramatically during the teenage years," and by adolescence "is a serious public health problem". The results are similar in Canada (33.3 percent), England (26 percent), and Switzerland (27 percent).

Studies on the incidence of headaches in children are also revealing. A Swedish study reports that over 70 percent of children had experienced headaches by the age of 15. A 1989 survey revealed the frequency of severe headaches in those under the age of 18 to be 25.3 per 1,000 population.

An Australian study reported that only 36.8 percent of children ages 10-18 had never experienced a headache, and that 33.7 percent of the youths experienced headaches every 2-3 weeks or once per month, 24.8 percent every few days or once per week, and 4.6 percent experienced a headache almost all the time. The majority of headaches are not life threatening. Many headaches are due to spinal subluxations and are amenable to chiropractic care.

It is not specifically for pain that children should see a chiropractor. Minor spinal problems may not become painful for years. Bumps and falls are natural consequences of learning to walk, run, ride a bike, and interact with one's environment. When spinal bones lose their normal position or ability to move because of these minor traumas, permanent deformities can occur with far reaching effects.

Hyperactivity, learning disorders, bed wetting, and other health problems may be the result of nervous system interference or malfunction caused by spine related problems.

Appropriate chiropractic care can help locate and correct these problems and restore normal spinal and nervous system function.

Parents of children who receive regular chiropractic care often report that their children seem healthier than other children, and get fewer or less colds and other common childhood ailments.

A nervous system that is functioning properly, without irritation from the spinal bones, helps the immune system and other systems of the body function at their optimum.