Some adults wonder why children would need to see a chiropractor, and that is a good question. Chiropractic is about so much more than just back pain, and injuries- it is about optimizing function. Whether a person has a tiny spine or a large one, if that spine is creating nerve distress, then our bodies may not operate smoothly.
The nerve system is the master control center of our body, and it communicates with all of our tissues by way of the spine. The spine creates a network of communication channels, and if those channels become distorted or damaged, then we experience all kinds of communication errors.
For babies and children, this ineffective communication often plays out as colic or irritability, an inability to suckle and breastfeed, or poor sleep. In some kids it may present as developmental delays, digestion issues, asthma, behavioral problems, low energy, or inability to concentrate. The list goes on. These are all indicators that the nervous system is under distress, and that the body is struggling to self-regulate.
Our body’s ability to self-regulate is fundamentally the job of the nerve system, and if the spine is not in proper position, it can negatively impact this process.
While chiropractic frequently helps with many kinds of health issues, the focus is never treating or curing ailments, but to ensure that the nervous system has the greatest opportunity to self-regulate by removing any interference. Chiropractors refer to these kinds of nerve interferences, and spinal imbalances as vertebral subluxations. Our job as chiropractors is to assess, detect, and correct subluxations.
Now you may be wondering, how does a child wind up with subluxations? There are three primary factors that result in subluxation- physical, emotional, or chemical stressors. The most common physical stressors are often first encountered in the birth process. No matter how the birth happens, whether vaginally or via cesarean, there are numerous opportunities for a baby’s spine to experience trauma. This can be from a narrow canal, forceps, suction, twisting, pulling, if a cord gets wrapped around the neck, and the list goes on.
Emotional stress can be related to issues at school, at home, or in relationships, while chemical stressors are from things encountered in the environment such as foods, medicines, pollutants in the air, and sometimes even materials in clothing. All of these things can cause stress to the body and result in a vertebral subluxation.
The detection and correction of subluxations allow kids and babies to function at their highest potential, by removing interference along the nerves. When subluxations are cleared, symptoms often go away and the body is able to do what it is designed to do- keep your child healthy and happy.
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