Chiropractic for Kids!

I've been asked many times why kids should see a chiropractor.  The reasons are endless, but the simplest answer is to allow them to continue to adapt to their environment as best they can.  

Newborns:

While natural, the birth process does put stresses on the body, and a newborn finds themselves suddenly in a completely new environment.  New sounds, new sensations, more room to spread out than they've ever had before, a new way to receive their nutrients, and so much more.  With as taxing as this can be to a newborn's nervous system, I wouldn't want to add in the stress, potential discomfort, and disruption of feedback from a misalignment to what they are processing as a newborn.  How would they get a misalignment you ask?  Contributing factors can be identified before, during, and after birth leading to the findings of medical researcher Dr. Godfrey Gutman who found neck injuries in 80% of the infants he examined shortly after birth. 

Children are resilient, they adapt, and I want them to be able to adapt to the best of their abilities.  If chiropractic care can help them by removing a taxing (or, at the very least, annoying) issue with alignment, then why not give it a try?

Childhood:

People will often say (as I did when I was a skeptic) "They are so flexible and bendy, how would they get a misalignment that wouldn't go back on it's own?" or "They haven't had the repetitive stresses a 30, 40, or 50 year old has had on their body, how could they possibly need an adjustment?".  The answer to these questions is found in the premise of the questions themselves.  Kids are indeed quite flexible and "bendy".  this contributes to a greater range of motion than an adult, however there is an inverse relationship between Range of Motion and Stability.  This means that the more Range of Motion someone has the less natural stability they would have.  We need a balance of both.  Too much, or not enough of either factor can have a negative effect on our function.   Increased range of motion can mean more tendency towards a misalignment.  These resilient kids often do "work it out" so to speak during play and activity, however we are asking our kids to spend time seated in front of a computer, or at a school desk, or in a car-seat for travel more than society has ever asked of kids before.  And just think of how often a toddler learning to walk falls right on his tailbone.  Those repetitive stresses can add up quickly, wouldn't it be better to take care of them as they are adding up instead of in your 30's, 40's, and 50's when they have led to something more severe?  (Yes chiropractic prevention is a real thing, ideally removing misalignments BEFORE they become postural issues or disc injuries.)

Teens:

Cell phones and hormones... need I say more?  Keeping the body aligned during times of growth and physiological change can go a long way towards a lifetime of healthy and active living.  The function of a thing is determined by it's form.  The spine's function is to protect and promote the activity of the nervous system while also allowing us to move in diverse ways.  If the Form of the Spine isn't quite right, it's function isn't going to be quite right.  If you haven't caught on to the physiological effects of a misalignment yet, then ask your favorite AI what the physiological effects of a spinal misalignment are.  Or if you're like me and don't trust AI, then here's a good place to start: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UTN5pLn9iv4

AND STOP LOOKING DOWN AT YOUR PHONES!

Get your kids checked now, or call 208-430-9310 to talk it over with Dr. Collins.