It often surprises people to see a wall full of pictures of smiling children, who are regular patients at our clinics. Back to Basics has a large clientele of children, ranging from babies through to adolescents; we treat children of all ages. Whether people think it’s unnecessary for children or whether they simply have never considered it as a treatment option, it seems that chiropractic care for children is a highly contentious issue, and many people ask is chiropractic safe for children?
A lot of the debate on this issue stems from a complete misunderstanding of what Chiropractic is and what the treatment entails. It is quite common for people to have the misconception that chiropractors are just back doctors, and whilst this is an area of expertise for us, it discredits the great work chiropractors do for all other areas of the musculoskeletal system. So where do Children stand with chiropractors. In this blog post we aim to answer a three commonly asked questions and in doing so hopefully dispel a few myths.
- Is Chiropractic care appropriate for children?
Chiropractic care is appropriate for any child. From birth through to adolescence the body undergoes rapid change, it is vital that you monitor your childs growth and development to
ensure that everything is progressing as it should be. During this time the bones, muscles and joints are all developing at such a fast pace, without an in depth understanding of anatomy a parent can’t be expected to identify any issues in their child’s development.
This is where your chiropractor comes in, by performing simple assessments they are able to determine if there are any postural issues, muscular tightness, muscular weakness or other biomechanical issues which may have a negative impact on your childs development. Your chiropractor can monitor your child’s growth and development and ensure that any issues are addressed as early as possible and not left to worsen later in life.
- Is Chiropractic care safe for child?
Chiropractic care is considered safe* for your child. The method of treatment applied for children is vastly different to that applied to adults. The techniques used on children involve much less force, chiropractors are focused more on soft tissue therapy and joint mobility, rather than manual adjustments. For babies, the pressure used to treat is no more than that of your finger tips. Much of the consultation is assessment based. Our Chiropractors are highly skilled when it comes to the musculoskletal system, they understand the spine and its development throughout all stages of life. This knowledge allows them to perform the safest possible treatment on their patients regardless of their age.
- What common childhood conditions do chiropractors treat?
Chiropractors may be able to assist in helping to relieve the symptoms of children who present with a number of different conditions. These conditions may include:
- Growing pains
- Coordination problems
- Sleep disorders
- Joint sprain and strains
- Scoliosis
- Postural problems
- Sports related injuries
For a complete list of conditions we can assist with and to better understand what we can do for your child please see our page on Children and Chiropractic.
*Chiropractic treatment is generally considered safe but occasionally it may cause adverse reactions in some people. For more information regarding the risk of treatment specific to your personal situation, please consult you chiropractor.
