Why Do Children Need to be Adjusted?

Too often, upon seeing the pictures of all the children we treat in this office, we will have patients ask: "Why do you adjust children?  Aren't they too young to have back problems?"  We therefore feel the need to write this article to better in-form everyone. It is amazing what people will go through to make sure their children's teeth are "straight", but yet they neglect their children's spines.

The spine houses and protects the spinal cord and the nerves that are responsible for controlling every function of the body! If you have children, watch them play.  Sliding down the stairs, jumping on the bed, falling off their bike, or diving head-first into the couch half-a-dozen times. How would your spine be if you did those things? Well, you probably did do those things as a child and that may be why you have the neck or back problems you have today!

You see, children also have spines and they too can become misaligned. If a growing child has spinal misalignments, then his nervous system won't be able to function at 100%. Think about it for a moment.  If a 3-year-old were to fall off her tricycle, for example, and get a subluxation (misalignment of the spine) at the 3rd lumbar vertebrae, this would result in pressure on the nerves that leave from that area of the spine.  This means that the nerve flow going to her reproductive organs (the 3rd lumbar nerves control the reproductive organs) would only be a fraction of what it should be!  This would also have a negative effect on the muscles and spine as they develop.

A child's body is very resilient and adaptive, so at age 3 there may not be any noticeable problems.  But after growing and developing with only a fraction of the nerve flow needed, it becomes obvious how she could develop problems later on in life (i.e.: fibroid cysts, endometriosis, irregular periods, etc.).  Not to mention the lower back pain resulting from the body's compensation for the subluxation.

This is just one example of how childhood injuries that have long been forgotten can be the cause of our adulthood ailments. Don't neglect your child's spine any longer.  We treat children of all ages.  The adjustments done on children are slightly different than those done on an adult and our techniques for adjusting children are very gentle.  So gentle in fact, we even adjust newborn babies!

How often do children need to be adjusted and what are some of the childhood problems that chiropractic can help? We recommend that children be checked for misalignments and adjusted after just one time.  Making sure that a child's nervous system is free from interference is the most important thing when there is any problem with a child's health!  Chiropractic adjustments have helped many children with problems such as chronic ear infections, croup, colic, asthma, ADD/ADHD, scoliosis and many others.

Remember that children are our future and they depend on us to do what is right for them so they can live healthy and productive lives.  Don't let your child go through life at less than 100%.  Please bring your child on your next appointment to be checked… A small adjustment now could save them from serious problems later.


Remember - health is not merely the absence of symptoms. Symptoms are the last sign to appear in any disease process.  Health is based upon the body's ability to function correctly. If your child has a health problem, they may need to be adjusted more frequently. It is important to remember that 9 out of 10 people with subluxations (misalignments of the spine) have no symptoms!

These misalignments, however, irritate nerves and interfere with the body's ability to function.  Chiropractic adjustments align the spine and removes nerve irritations so the body can function at its best.  This is why it is important to maintain your child’s spine with periodic adjustments… especially during the early developmental stages of crawling and walking.

Unlike an adult who may have had their problem for years and therefore may require many treatments to correct the problem, most children hold their adjustments after just one time