Healthy Spines for Children

By Donna Kostiew

I’m a parent, and like most others, I have had my fair share of visits to the pediatrician. With the exception of emergencies, I would venture to say that most of our visits are probably pretty typical (ear infections, strep throat, weird, bumpy rashes), if not routine, for children. As parents, we also take our children for visits that are more on the preventative side as well, don’t we? We stress the importance of having their teeth, eyes, and ears checked, so why is it that the majority of us draw a blank when it comes to our children’s spines?

A healthy spine is crucial to the development of our children, and they are particularly susceptible to injuries … learning how to walk or ride a bike, getting bumped and tackled in sports, being a little too reckless on the trampolines or skateboards … all of these have a cumulative effect on their bodies over time, yet it doesn’t often faze us, or cross our minds even, that their spines are constantly being impacted.

Spinal checkups should definitely be part of their preventative care and fortunately are always quick and easy at The Joint Chiropractic. The amount of benefits that chiropractic care offers your child will have you questioning why you didn’t bring them in earlier.

Don’t Miss Out on These Benefits

Chiropractic care restores and maintains the proper function of the nervous system, and this allows the body to have optimal health. That’s a pretty big benefit in and of itself, but let’s get a little more specific.

• Strengthens immunity
• Reduces asthma symptoms, breathing difficulties and allergies
• Improves concentration
• Alleviates digestive problems
• Promotes better sleep
• Decreases the number of ear infections
• Prevents sports injuries

Every time we see our children fall or get injured, our first question to them is “are you OK?” If they jump up and say “I’m fine!” we usually don’t give it a second thought. But for every time this happens, the spine adapts to the trauma. Over time, these falls and bumps add up, and these small adaptations, one right after the other, can potentially lead to spinal imbalances and joint restrictions that will create issues and cause pain for our children in the future. And nobody wants that.

There is a quote attributed to Frederick Douglass that has always resonated with me, and I think it applies here: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” (Or women ... let’s be fair here.) But do give that quote some thought and know that chiropractic care has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment, without the use of drugs or invasive surgeries, for people of all ages. So don’t worry, and take your child to the chiropractor as soon as you can!

To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Portland, Ore.