Who Needs Chiropractic Care?

Newborn Babies

How Can a Young Infant’s Spine Be Traumatized?
A young spine, with few exceptions, usually develops perfectly by the end of pregnancy. It’s what happens around the time of birth and in the months thereafter which can sometimes upset the normal functioning of the spine. Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb, or can suffer similar problems during labor from the trauma of the trip through the birth canal, or from the birthing process itself. Medical research has identified the fact that many problems early in a child’s life can come from birth trauma (See “‘KISS’ Syndrome” in Dynamic Chiropractic, 6/3/94).

Spinal problems can also occur as a result of the frequent falls suffered by young infants in the first months of life. A fall from a bed, a sudden stop in an automobile, or any significant unsupported movement of the head and neck in an infant can induce excessive movement in the spine causing vertebral subluxations. At the other end of the spine, the act of learning to walk, and the number of simple falls encountered in this way, can induce trauma to the lower spinal segments and to the large sacroiliac joints of the pelvis. Young children learning to walk also fall and hit their heads. These apparently innocent, frequently occurring events can also create spinal subluxations.

How Can Parents Recognize Childhood Spinal Problems?
Unless a child has an obvious problem, it can be difficult for parents to recognize when a child has spinal subluxations. It is not always easy for someone other than a chiropractor, highly trained in evaluating the spine, to determine if the child has a problem, just as it is difficult for someone other than a dentist to determine if a child has any cavities. Both cases take the skills of a trained specialist to perform a thorough evaluation.

There are some signs however which parents may look for which can be an indicator of a child with a spinal problem. Common indicators of spinal problems may include the child’s head consistently being tilted to one side; restricted head or neck motion to one side; disturbed sleeping patterns where the child sleeps for only an hour or two at a time; feeding difficulties in the very young infant; the infant may have difficulty nursing at the breast on one particular side.

Common childhood disorders can also sometimes indicate a spinal problem. Persistent earaches, sore throats, colic, headaches, bed-wetting, and growing pains are but some of the more common problems for which parents bring their children to the chiropractor.

How Are Children’s Spinal Problems Treated?
The first thing your chiropractor will do is to conduct a careful and thorough evaluation of your child’s spine. Most chiropractors are trained to evaluate pediatric spinal problems and will use gentle, specific skills to identify, evaluate, and treat any involved spinal areas.

What Does the Treatment Involve?
Spinal adjustments for infants and young children involve very light finger-tip adjustments to correct malfunctioning spinal structures. A light spinal adjustment, using no more than two pounds of pressure, is usually sufficient to restore mobility to spinal joints which have become locked and are causing interference with the normal function of the nervous system. Most adjustments make a “popping” sound when the spinal joints are moved, however this sound is not always heard when children’s spines are adjusted.

Does It Hurt?
Generally, no. However, very young infants sometimes take momentary fright at the sudden movement, and may cry for a few seconds.

How Many Treatments Are Required?
Children’s spines are a lot more mobile than those of adults and as a result, usually require only a few adjustments to restore normal function. The actual number of adjustments, however, may vary depending on the length of time that the condition has been present.

What Risks Are Involved in Having My Child’s Spine Adjusted?
The risk of a child suffering a permanent injury from a spinal manipulation is extremely rare. Chiropractors have been adjusting children’s spines for most of the 100 years since chiropractic was first established, and has an excellent safety record. A check of some of the largest insurance carriers, who provide malpractice insurance coverage for chiropractors in the United States, has identified that despite the recent adverse media coverage, not one claim for injury to a child has been filed in the past five years.

Toddlers, Kids & Teens

Chiropractic care serves as preventative maintenance for various conditions including:

• Respiratory problems
• Asthma
• Sleep disturbances
• Ear infections
• Allergies
• Colic
• Sore throats
• Scoliosis
• Poor posture
• Headaches
• And bed wetting

Working with a qualified and experienced chiropractor is also beneficial in caring for children affected by behavioral or developmental disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). With continued chiropractic after care, children reportedly display improved behavior, have greater flexibility and reduced pain.

Pre & Post Natal Pregnent Women

Relieve the pain and discomfort of pregnancy

During pregnancy, most women experience a number of neuromuscular and biochemical problems which respond favorably to gentle, safe, noninvasive chiropractic care, These include:

Release hormone relaxin causes muscle and ligament relaxation (allows joints to more easily misalign)

Change in weight distribution:

• Increased demand and fatigue on spinal pelvic musckes
• Increased stress on spinal and pelvic ligaments
• Increase in lumbar and thoracic spinal curves which further increase the above
• Increased joint stress and thus occurrence of vertebral and sacroiliac joint misalignments

The above changes primarily affect the pelvic and spinal ligaments, muscles, joints and other supportive soft tissues. These changes cause sprain/strains of pelvic and spinal structures, as well as alteration of the normal spinal biomechanics. The result is an increased stress on the body leading to pain and discomfort.

Regularly scheduled pre-natal chiropractic care visits will help you stay comfortable and healthy throughout your pregnancy term. Schedule a free consultation with DR. FIGURELLI to see how chiropractic care can help you.

Senior Citizens

Coming soon…

Active Adults

Injury prevention…

Auto Accident Patients

Coming soon…