Chiropractic for Kids
One of my practice members asked me recently whether I thought chiropractic would be helpful for her son, even if he was not reporting physical pain. She described a tightly wound, rather anxious young boy who seemed on edge most of the time. My answer, of course, was unequivocally yes. Chiropractic is excellent as a modality for helping people with musculoskeletal pain and complaints. Yet where it excels is helping people - of all ages - find more ease in their body and greater connection to how they move, feel, and heal. This happens when chiropractic focuses on how the patterns of stress and tension in the nervous system impact the expression of normal health and physiology. This principle applies to all people of all ages.
For me, the gift of chiropractic is nowhere more profound than when offered to a child. Helping to liberate stress and strain on a growing and developing nervous system, chiropractic supports the health and wellbeing of children as they learn, explore, create, crawl, fall, climb, and walk their way into our world.
Not too long ago, another practice member brought her two year old in for a visit. The little one had had a tumble down 3 stairs. Luckily, she appeared to be just fine. Wanting to be sure everything was okay, her mother brought her in. Wide eyed and with the world at her tiny hands, she walked right in like she owned the place. After reviewing with mom what had happened, I did a quick thermal measurement (I use an infrared thermometer with kids) on her neck to see if she was regulating blood flow evenly between right and left. Nearly half a degree off, this told me there was interference in her upper neck. In addition, we were able to see by the way she lay on the table and how she naturally turned her head that things were not even or balanced. Even though she was not complaining of pain or having any obvious signs of injury, the impact of the fall to her head and neck was significantly affecting how her spine and nervous system were communicating.
Moving through my chiropractic assessment, I knew exactly what we needed to do. With the most gentle and precise adjustment to her upper neck (I used my pinky!) both her mom and I watched as breath moved up her spine, she wiggled and stretched, finding connection, releasing tension, and then sinking right into the table with the most beautiful sigh. Witnessing the shift in tension in her little body was incredible. What it means - and why it is so profound - is that she was able to release stress in her spine that she didn’t need to carry. The physical stress from that fall will not create a block in her ability to move and it will not impede her ability to see and sense and explore the world around her. She can continue to grow and develop with an open channel for all that life presents to her.
So yes, I do believe that chiropractic can help kids and that it can do so even when something doesn’t “hurt”. That being said, if a child is reporting pain or dis-ease, that is a strong reason for them to see a chiropractor. After falls or accidents, persistent or recurrent illness, poor posture or uneven movements, hyperactivity or challenge with mood, or any time a child reports feeling pain is a good time to bring them in. In addition, I am a firm proponent of regular wellness visits, which often help to address underlying stress before it becomes a problem.
Children are our future. Please share the gift of chiropractic with them!
