When I speak to parents, a common question comes up – “why on earth would kids need to be adjusted?” At first glance, it is a confusing topic. But if you sit and think for a minute about how kids enter this world, and the process of growing from a baby to an upright toddler, child, adolescent, then finally adult, the question starts to answer itself. Just the birth process tends to be traumatic on our precious babies, then learning to walk, falling down, spills, thrills, and so on can be hard on their little spines.
No matter the age of the patient, chiropractors are in the business of reducing stress (or injuries) in the spine. We find those areas in adults through x-ray (except for during pregnancy of course), but in kids it can be as simple as feeling the joints and muscles to detect areas of tension and tightness. The problem with stress and injuries is that sometimes the body will get stuck in a loop, where once it gets tight or injured, it will become a habit to be tight in those areas, leading to worse problems in adulthood if not remedied.
The good news is that adjustments can easily clear out those tight spots and injuries, allowing the body to heal. This reduces stress and improves healthy motion in those joints and tissues. This is true in both kids and adults, but kids heal much more quickly! Not only can this help kids feel better physically, but we’ve seen amazing improvements in anxiousness, excess energy, and moodiness just from adjustments.