To Your Health
August, 2007 (Vol. 01, Issue 08) |
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Stress can be placed on children in the same manner it is placed on adults. It could be due to sports, sitting in the car seat for too long, falling down while they are playing, birth trauma or falling out of their crib/bed, to name a few.
The important idea here is that children are not always good at letting you know they are in pain or having problems. The key is being able to make observations that indicate when you may need to have your child evaluated by your chiropractor.
Some children have a difficult delivery. As they pass through the birth canal, their shoulders, heads, hips or legs can get stuck or be placed in awkward positions. In some cases, the mother has tried hard to have a natural birth, but in the end needed a cesarean section. Even C-sections can be physically traumatic to parts of the baby's body.
When children begin crawling, they start to develop the curve in their neck. They also start developing coordination in their arms and legs. As they move into walking, you start to see them using their limbs to balance and move upright. Early in their lives, you may be able to notice some of the following signs:
- hunched shoulder on one side or both;
- head turns to one side more than the other, and your child resists or becomes noticeably uncomfortable when you attempt to turn their head to the other side;
- the hip and leg on one side kicks or moves differently than the other; and/or
- toes point inward or outward when your child walks or runs.
As children grow older and get more involved in athletic activities, it is a lot easier to understand when a child is injured or in pain. Even without pain, many of the symptoms discussed above can cause serious problems with children's bones, joints and muscles - problems that may not be detected or become painful for years to come. Preventative chiropractic can give a child a solid foundation for the rest of their life.
Did you realize that chiropractic care, which works so well for adults, works just as effectively for children? The same treatments we administer to adults are just as safe for children. Ailments that adults commonly come into our offices with happen to children as well. Chiropractic techniques performed on children are modified so the procedures are gentler for the child's particular body type. We also can utilize exercises, ice/heat and other home-care instructions to make the parents part of the care-giving process.
Chiropractors have long cared for children. Each day, thousands of children across the world are receiving adjustments from chiropractors. It's a great way to relieve pain, restore function and keep them happy - the way children should be.
Kevin M. Wong, DC, a 1996 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic West in San Jose, Calif., practices full-time in Orinda, Calif. He is also an instructor for Foot Levelers, Inc.
