While a visit to the chiropractor’s office may seem like something you shouldn’t worry about until adulthood, there are actually plenty of benefits that children and adolescents can receive from an adjustment.
From improved bodily growth to more restorative sleep, chiropractic care for children can give kids the leg-up they need to set them on the path toward a lifetime of healthy living.
Promote Proper Growth
This first point applies to growing children in general but has special applications for infants and toddlers. As a child develops into an adult, the body, including its bones and joints, sees some major changes over time. For example, babies undergo several crucial milestones in their first year of life, from the formation of their neck’s curvature to the strengthening and lengthening of their spine.
Unfortunately, some infants and other children are born and grow up with a misalignment in their vertebrae (also known as a subluxation). Left unchecked, this spinal problem can hamper your child’s development in terms of both posture and overall bodily growth.
A soft and precise chiropractic adjustment can correct this issue, ensuring proper development as the child ages. Even the smallest children can receive an adjustment (depending on how many weeks they’re at post-birth). The science of chiropractic care for infants and other patients requires just the right amount of pressure carefully placed at exactly the right part of the body.
A properly applied yet gentle chiropractic adjustment can correct a child’s spinal alignment, allowing him or her to grow up at the proper rate of development with proper posture and a healthy spine.
Improved Sleep
Every parent is familiar with the struggles of a child who has sleep issues such as sleep deprivation (can anyone say, “Irritable Baby Syndrome”?). Emotional stress, tension, growing pains, and other sources of physical discomfort can all contribute toward a child of any age having a rough time falling asleep and staying asleep.
This, in turn, can hamper a child’s overall health, which in turn prevents getting proper sleep . . . and on and on the vicious cycle goes.
Fortunately, chiropractic care is designed to solve many of the same problems that cause poor sleep in the first place. For instance, if your child is suffering from extensive discomfort or pain related to a spinal misalignment (even a small one!), then a skilled chiropractor can take a look at your kid and perform just the right adjustment to correct the issue.
Having a properly aligned spine decreases the chances of stiffness, back or neck pain, and other issues that could be keeping your child awake at night.
At the same time, regular pediatric chiropractic care can relieve any nervous system stress or tension a child may be experiencing as a result of growing pains, academic pressures, sports injuries, and more. By relieving these symptoms, a chiropractor can improve your child’s sleep quality.
And sound sleep results in a positive impact not just on your child, but also on you the tired parent, since you don’t have to get up so often to take care of your child at night!
Stronger Immune System and Digestive Health
Both children and adults need strong immune systems and healthy guts in order to flourish. However, children struggle with all kinds of sicknesses (from ear infections to the common cold) because their immune systems aren’t fully developed, and their digestive systems aren’t as ironclad as a grown-up’s, either.
Hands-down the best way to help your kids grow up with healthy immune systems is by providing them with a balanced diet, plenty of exercise and physical activity, and a good amount of high-quality sleep. Beyond that, chiropractic care can also lend a hand with immune and digestive issues.
Many of the body’s functions are negatively impacted by pressure on the joints, especially those of the spine. Compression and pressure on the spine can hamper blood flow and restrict nerve impulses, which essentially limits the effectiveness of your child’s immune system and digestive abilities.
By reducing or outright eliminating the pressure that a misaligned spine places on your child’s nervous system, a chiropractor can help your kid’s body function more efficiently thanks to improved blood flow and oxygenation. The same chiropractic treatment mechanism that provides this increased blood flow and helps with nervous system issues may even aid a child’s brain development!
A more effective immune system is better equipped to handle the myriad infections, illnesses, and germs your child is exposed to on a daily basis, and a more functional digestive system enhances your child’s bowel movements and gut health.
Decreased Risk of Injury
It’s no secret that children get into all kinds of scrapes and accidents all the time. While bumps and bruises are a regular part of growing up, especially for kids who maintain a healthy level of outdoor activity, you can still do your level best to keep them safe from most injuries.
Apart from relief from pain and discomfort, pediatric chiropractic care can strengthen your child’s tense muscles (especially the back muscles) and enhance your child’s flexibility and range of movement. On top of that, chiropractic adjustments can improve blood flow, which helps people maintain a sense of balance as they go about their daily lives.
A combination of functional strength, proper mobility, and balance work in tandem to decrease the likelihood of your child suffering a fall or similar injury.
Your child can also suffer from injuries that initially went unnoticed but have become exacerbated over time. For example, a fall off a bike may have strained your child’s nerve or back without anyone noticing (the child included!). Over time, this untreated injury can become worse as your child goes about his or her day.
An experienced pediatric chiropractor can identify this type of injury during an examination and perform the necessary adjustment to protect your child’s body against any further injury.
Better Overall Health and Wellness
From helping patients feel more limber to supplying them with new confidence following an injury, there are almost too many health benefits of chiropractic care to mention. Patient-focused chiropractors can create pediatric treatment plans that are designed for a child’s specific needs, no matter their age.
For instance, a pediatric chiropractor can provide regular chiropractic treatment and give advice on posture and mobility drills for a student-athlete who wants to avoid injury out on the field or court. The same healthcare provider can oversee a baby or toddler’s development to make sure his or her spine and neck are growing in an appropriate fashion.
The main thing to remember is that a pediatric chiropractor can provide holistic care for your child. From their earliest days as an infant into their adult years, a chiropractor can support your kid’s spinal health and bodily functions, safeguard against injury, aid optimal brain development, and set your child up for a lifetime of health and wholeness.
Contact Deep Roots Chiropractic Health Center to Schedule an Appointment Today
Infants, children, and teens of all ages can benefit from a holistic care approach to pain management, proper posture, and healthy growth and development.
If you want to give your kids the opportunity they deserve to grow up into adults who lead healthy lifestyles, schedule an appointment with the chiropractor team in Bentonville’s Deep Roots Chiropractic Health Center today.
