Early in Life Chiropractic Exams: Important

Dr. Tom Scherer

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen should a child have their very first Chiropractic examination? The recommended answer to that would be as soon after birth as possible and then continue to have them adjusted right on through childhood.

A child is susceptible to spinal trauma from the birth process and all the way through their childhood when they take many spills and tumbles during the growing up process. All during this time the child’s spine is growing and developing at a rapid rate – about a 50% increase in length during their first year of life. This is equivalent to a 6-foot tall person growing to 9 feet in just 12 months.

One person who has received Chiropractic exams and adjustments since a very early stage of his life is actor Jonathan Lipnicki, now 17. Audiences of all ages know him from his roles in the Stuart Little movies and as a youngster in the movie Jerry McGuire .

Jonathan’s uncle is a chiropractor and gave him his first adjustment when he was just several months old. “It’s a good way to live,” he said. “You perform at your best, whether it’s academically or physically.” In encouraging early childhood Chiropractic he added, “If you want to perform at your ultimate best, if you want to be the best you can be in sports and in school, mentally and physically, Chiropractic is the way because everything has to do with your nervous system. And if you can clear up any subluxation (partial dislocations of vertebra) in there, you’ll be pretty much OK.”

The next question parents may ask is, “What types of childhood problems might be solved by a visit to a Chiropractor?” An article in Parents and Kids magazine made reference to the common reasons a child should be checked and likely helped. These include: a difficult birth, difficulty nursing, colic, reflux, trouble sleeping, ear infections, frequent colds and infections, allergies/asthma, behavioral problems (Attention Deficit Disorder), postural abnormality, head tilting, high shoulder or hip ailments.

Doctors of Chiropractic have been providing safe and effective care to children for nearly 100 years with published studies in Europe and the United States confirming the effectiveness of Chiropractic for this entire variety of childhood illnesses and structural irregularities. In fact, the scientific evidence continues to grow.

The Parents and Kids magazine article has one final important warning. “Nerve system stress left unaddressed impairs the child’s ability to function in a state of optimal health and well-being.” This can have an effect on the child’s health now and in the future. “Pain and malfunction may not show up for many years,” the article concludes. Parents would do well to have a child examined early for good health and to save potential later life problems.