Think that chiropractic care is just for adults? Think again! Children and adolescents also reap the wellness-boosting rewards of chiropractic care. Dr. Winchester encourages patients to learn how chiropractic care helps kids of all ages grow up as healthy as possible.
Safe and Gentle
Dr. Winchester uses an extremely safe and gentle technique, known as the Gonstead Technique when adjusting her pediatric patients. This technique is specifically modified for our younger patient’s spine.
Lessen Low-Back Pain
Low-back pain (LBP) in little ones is no minor problem. Researchers estimate that a startling 50 percent of children are afflicted sometime during their youth. Even worse: Almost 15 percent experience frequent or continual pain.
The good news is that chiropractic care for children works. One study included 54 children (31 boys and 23 girls) with LBP cared for at 15 chiropractic clinics. The children ranged in age from 4-18 years, with an average age of 13. Specifically, 61 percent suffered from acute LBP, with 47 percent attributing onset to a traumatic event (most commonly sports-related); 2 4 percent reported pain lasting longer than three months.
Patients received chiropractic adjustments, specialized and precise maneuvers designed to eliminate vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxations are dysfunctional areas in the spine, where alignment is skewed and movement is limited.
The result of the chiropractic intervention? Within six weeks of beginning chiropractic care, two separate assessments revealed “important” improvement among 62-87 percent of the youngsters, respectively.
The authors conclude that pediatric patients “respond favorably to chiropractic management, and there were no reported complications.”
Ergonomics and Low-Back Pain
In a study of 5,000 adolescents aged 11-14 years, researchers found that the top predictor for LBP was sitting for long periods in a poorly designed chair. To reduce the risk of LBP, Dr. Winchester encourages optimal posture for children and advises parents to make sure that your youngster’s chair and desk are the correct height. Limiting television time and promoting daily exercise are highly beneficial to children as well.
Overloaded backpacks and school bags are additional ergonomic nightmares, which provoke spinal problems.
Ask Dr. Winchester for specific instruction regarding ergonomic parameters for your child.