When people think of the chiropractor, they usually associate it with those of middle and more advanced age. But the truth is, many children require chiropractic care as well. In numerous cases chiropractic care is an essential part of a child’s wellness plan in an overall sense. As a matter of fact, 17% of chiropractic patients are under the age of 18, as reported by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

Given that each year in the US 38 million children play organized athletics, it’s easy to understand that kids might need to see a chiropractor just due to injury alone. This competitive athletics enthusiasm results in 3.5 million medical visits annually. It’s not just up to your kid, either. 52% of coaches questioned in a survey conducted by SafeKids.org said that there is an acceptable amount of hard contact. 1 in 3 kids surveyed in the same study said that they would continue to play hurt, despite being injured. Injuries aren’t limited to game time, either — 62% of injuries happen while your child is at practice.

Why Pursue Chiropractic Care?

Even if your child isn’t experiencing symptoms related to their back or spine, chiropractic care could relieve or vastly improve symptoms associated with ADD/ADHD, colic, torticollis, ear infections, chronic bed wetting, allergies, gastrointestinal problems, asthma, seizures, and more, according to the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.

These problems can amount to:

• Pain / Discomfort
• Anxiety
• Decreased Mental Clarity
• Lack of Sleep / Insomnia
• Immune / Digestive System Dysfunction

Your Body is Complicated, No Matter Your Age

Doesn’t matter if you’re five or fifty five, your nervous system is complicated. Your brain, spinal cord, and nerves are all inextricably linked. Misalignments (also called Subluxations) in the spine can cause miscommunication from brain to body.

Don’t wait for your child to experience an injury. Even small traumas like bumps and bruises can accumulate, resulting in pain and discomfort, which can affect school performance and overall well-being. Think of us as a family practice here at Barton Chiropractic Clinic. We treat back and spine problems for you and your loved ones in Homewood, IL, providing quality chiropractic care from infancy to advanced age.

It’s the new year, which means New Year’s Resolutions galore. You might have found evidence of this at the gym, where foot traffic will be the most congested it will get all year. That means newbies hogging the machines, half marathons being ran on the treadmill, and everything in between to make things extra inconvenient.

But persistence is key. It’s unfortunate that many times we get caught up on weight because of aesthetic reasons, which is what drives us to change. How we look plays a big role into why we start rigorous diets and training programs to shed unwanted pounds. Many of us don’t think about the overall health benefits we glean from losing excess fat; we only think about how good we’re going to look in a bathing suit. But losing weight sends wellness reverberations throughout your entire body and mind.

Do it for Your Back

SpineUniverse.com offers up some great ideas for losing weight for the sake of your back. Having a protruding belly can cause undo stress on your back due to carrying excess weight around. Try carrying around a 10 pound weight with you all day; you’ll quickly find that it gets heavy, and it starts to put pressure on certain areas of your body more than others — your back and spine, for instance.

Think of being overweight as being in a jam-packed car. Think of all that pressure being put on the struts and shock absorbers of the automobile. That’s exactly what’s happening to your intervertebral discs. This can accentuate spinal curvature and increase injury risk.

Exercise with Your Back in Mind

Certain exercises and working in a yoga practice a few days a week can actually help you manage and alleviate your back pain in addition to helping you lose weight. Finding a workout buddy will also help motivate you to get to class on time and on schedule, too.

We hope some of this advice helps. If you have back pain in 2018 that persists in the face of losing weight, exercise, and diet change, then schedule a consultation with Barton Chiropractic Clinic today and we’ll put you on the path to lasting recovery.