Three Ways Chiropractic Care Can Benefit Your Child
Although children often don't need chiropractic care for the most common reasons adults seek it out (such as back pain), that doesn't mean that a chiropractor has nothing to offer your child. In fact, although some of the benefits a child will get from chiropractic care are similar to the ones you may experience, others are specific to children. Starting your child off now with a habit of scheduled adjustments by an experienced chiropractor is both important for his or her current health and a great way to invest in future health while teaching important lessons about self-care. Here are three ways that chiropractic care can benefit your child now.
1. Posture
Poor posture can either be the cause or the result of back pain. In children it's often indulged in with no thought for the future back pain it might cause. Chiropractic care can help your child be more aware of posture in addition to making good posture easier to achieve through spinal alignment and at-home exercises. Good posture is an important factor of body language no matter how old your child is, but especially if your child is school-aged already. Poor posture communicates low self-esteem, which can make your child an easier target for bullies. Good posture can communicate confidence, which can improve your child's social life and decrease danger from bullying.
2. Bone development
In order for your child's bone structure to develop properly, the spine must be correctly aligned and each bone must have its own space to grow. This is important for the nervous system as well. Regular chiropractic adjustments can help ensure that your child doesn't suffer problems caused by events such as vertebrae being jammed together and developing incorrectly. This is especially important if your child has received a shock or an injury (such as being involved in a car crash, even if the only harm done was mild whiplash). These types of events can cause spinal issues that can worsen steadily if not corrected.
3. Extracurricular activities
The sports field is an especially dangerous place for your child's spine. Hard and rough play can result in misalignment and strain even if no injuries were sustained. This is the case whether your child participates in sports such as basketball and baseball or other active pursuits such as horseback riding, ballet, or wilderness hiking. Strenuous activity can be an important part of developing muscles and staying healthy, but it's very easy for something to go wrong during these activities and a chiropractor can ensure that your child's spine stays in good shape.
As you can see, these three types of advantages can improve your child's life both now and in the future. If you're not sure what age to start taking your child for alignments, consult with a chiropractor, like one at Stroud Chiropractic Clinic.
