My Thoughts On Children and Chiropractic Care
When my daughter, Hannah, was a baby, I had a 3 wheeled running stroller. Since I was often alone, down in Portland Oregon while I finished up at my Chiropractic Collage, the stroller got A LOT of use as my only form of exercise. (My husband had just been hired with Coquitlam Fire Rescue so drove the I5 to and from Portland every 4 days! We laugh often at the wonderful and crazy memories from those early family days.)
Anyway, back to the stroller. When I originally put it together the front wheel was cock-eyed. I was too lazy (maybe too tired!) to take it back apart and reset it straight. It certainly pulled one way but I could over power that force with a little extra push through one hand. It seemed to work. Until one day the tire popped – the extra force through the one side of the tire mechanically wore it out; broke down the rubber.
Our body’s frame follows the same rule of physics. If there is unequal forces, there is expedited wear and tear. This happens at first silently, then with annoying symptoms, then “the tire pops” and stops you in your tracks, maybe requiring you to stop playing hockey or find another career or get a hip replacement or disc surgery.
My interest in treating children is in finding the “cock-eyed” tire early and helping them straighten it out early, before symptoms, so their 45 year old self can continue doing everything in life they enjoy and not be limited by their frame.
Many people wonder how it is that resilient kids need “straightening out”. Well, I challenge you to bring me a 15 year old hockey player or ball player without a rotated pelvis. Years if passing and shooting or throwing and batting, into either right or left rotation, time after time, creates a muscle imbalance that holds the pelvic joints torqued. Off ice training and/or Physiotherapy is also usually required in combination with the adjustments.
Another very common presentation is teenagers losing mid back extension due to spending so much time flexed. Texting, gaming and sitting in school all contribute to this posturing. When flexion is not countered by extension or avoided with a strong core and postural muscles, the mid back joints get stiffer and stiffer. Eventual symptoms are neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain and tingling/numb arms. For this example, the end result can be cervical disc herniations and the 45 year old is so very frustrated as they had done nothing to cause it, “it just happened”. Just like my stroller wheel; I didn’t go over a piece of glass or sharp rock, “it just happened”.
So, yes, I do think that chiropractic care is an important part of keeping our children healthy. Just like we take our children to the dentist for teeth cleanings to catch tarter before it is a cavity, let’s get them in for spinal checks, keep them active and teach them “spinal hygiene”. Unlike teeth, false spines are not an option.
And for you moms and dads, it is never to late to work on straightening your own wheels, it just might take us a bit more effort ; )
“As the twig is bent so grows the tree”.