"Fourways Chiropractic For the Whole Family"
Yes kids have spines too which need Chiropractic care. Children are subjected to two formidable challenges to their musculoskeletal system during development.
Read how amazing it is how we develop from a baby who can do nothing and needs lots of help with feeding, burping, changing and sleeping to a strong independent teenager.
The first spinal challenge is the trauma of passage through the birth canal. This is maybe one of the most dangerous passages to be traversed in a lifetime. During birth is also a time when the cranial structures (sutures joints of the skull) under go molding to allow newborn babies to get through the birth canal safely. However, there can be trauma stress during birth. For example difficult births requiring obstetric instruments (forceps,Ventouse) or a very long distressed labor which places excess strain on both mum and baby.
Fellow South African doctor of Chiropractic, Dr Michael Marinus, gives you some great tips in the video below for help getting baby to bring up winds easily after a fed.
The second spinal challenge of upmost importance to the child’s emerging movement development occurs when the infant has to master developmental milestones. It is amazing to watch the transition in a child from being on their backs, to rolling on their sides, pushing up on the arms, going onto all fours position ready to crawl then try stand onto two legs. It is then up to their growing nervous system to master the task of balancing and maintaining an upright posture in order to learn how to walk and hold their spinal posture against the forces of gravity.
If this wasn't enough already for a developing body, superimposed upon this burdensome task is the fact that the last major growth spurt usually occurs between the ages of 11 and 13. After this time of growing you'll find both the child's complaints and their Chiropractic treatment becomes more like those of adults who have back pains. This teenager stage tends to be an important time when monitoring for spinal abnormalities like scoliosis is needed.
The goal of all hands-on manual therapy treatment, like Chiropractic, is to help balance any perceived asymmetries in the structure of the spine, posture or gait (movement) so as to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms.
At times a direct referral for further medical diagnosis and treatment from a specialist like a paediatrician, paediatric pulmonologist, paediatric neurologist may be warranted. In such cases your chiropractor would advise you on what doctor you child needs to see to get help.
If you would like to know more about the what is colic in babies and the official definition here is the wikipedia article for more information.
