Children

Chiropractic care of children is gentle, safe and utilised successfully throughout the world. Children's health can be influenced by a number of factors that chiropractic care can help.

Physical injuries are common in childhood, if not healed properly, these injuries can lead to structural imbalances, whereby some muscles become tight while others become weak. Some injuries can cause joint dysfunction, which can affect spinal biomechanics and other bodily functions. Chiropractic can often help a variety of childhood conditions such as:

Posture-related disorders

Correcting poor posture and promoting good spinal health in children is of utmost importance to chiropractors. Our chiropractors routinely check for the development of scoliosis; should it be discovered, a plan of management including spinal adjustments and exercises will be discussed.

ADD/ADHA and learning difficulties

Numerous case studies suggest that chiropractic care can be helpful for improvement or resolution of ADD/ADHD. ADHD and learning disabilities are assisted through chiropractic adjustments by providing necessary brain stimulation. Nutrition and lifestyle changes may also be recommended to help correct or prevent biochemical imbalances that cause ADHD.

Bedwetting

Chiropractic care for nocturnal enuresis can aid the bladder through adjustments of the lower spine and pelvis. Since the nerve supply to the muscles, which control urinary emptying, are connected to the brain through the spinal cord, it is believed that aligning the spine will correct any slow messaging or incomplete signals between the brain and the bladder.

There is evidence to support this approach: A 1993 controlled study, which was presented to the National Conference on Chiropractic & Pediatrics, studied 46 children who were treated by chiropractors over 14 weeks and compared the results to 15 control subjects. The treated children had 17.9 percent fewer accidents after adjustments. This study confirmed findings of other research showing positive results from chiropractic care.

Teenagers

As with children, the examination and treatment of teenagers is of critical importance to chiropractors. During puberty, numerous changes taking place in a teen's body can place significant demands on muscles, joints and bones. During this period, bones tend to grow fast while muscles grow slowly by comparison. These changes can cause muscle imbalances and spinal dysfunction.

The transition from teen to adult also brings significant changes to actual bone structure and composition. Before the teen years, many bones in the body are soft and flexible. This is because much of the bone is actually made of cartilage. As a teenager, the cartilage hardens into true bone.

During this period, the bones and associated ligaments are more vulnerable to fractures, strains and sprains. Therefore, the detection of spinal dysfunction and associated muscle imbalances can be helpful in the prevention, restoration and maintenance of health.

Adults

Adults are by far the most frequent consumers of chiropractic health care. This is not surprising. For many, fast-paced lifestyles have led to an alarming increase in stress and stress-related disorders. Muscle, nerve and joint dysfunction are common manifestations that often produce lower back, neck and headache symptoms.

In addition to stress, lack of physical exercise leaves many adults vulnerable to injuries. Injuries are often caused by repetitive movements, either in the workplace or at home. Other injuries can be caused by falls, motor vehicle accidents or work place accidents. In either case, without regular exercise, adult bodies will be less forgiving, yielding to injuries much more easily than children's. Regardless of the injury, joint dysfunction, subluxation and muscle imbalance can occur.

Lack of exercise also leads to changes in posture. The extent of these changes depends largely on what people do for a living. All activities, though, can lead to imbalances in the neck, back and upper torso that weaken some muscles and tighten others. These imbalances will cause the head to point forward, the upper back to slump and the shoulders to tip lazily forward. Over time, joints are stressed, muscles become tighter and serious symptoms develop.

Elders

Chiropractic care is extremely important for elders because of the structural and chemical changes that occur throughout the body with increasing age. As we age, spinal discs, joints, ligaments, muscles and other tissues can become weaker, stiffer, less hydrated, more fibrous, and less able to adapt normal stresses. As a result, pain from joint degeneration (arthritis) becomes more frequent as tissue injuries from relatively benign events occur and healing time increases.

Chiropractic care has been shown to have an impact in alleviating pain associated with this degenerative process as well as restoring function, mobility and overall health. Chiropractors can also help the body’s nervous system by addressing nutrition, depression, exercise and other health issues.

What does the research say?

One study evaluated the health status of 414 elderly individuals (average age of 80 years) and compared those individuals under chiropractic care with those not under chiropractic care. The researchers found a number of significant findings which included:

• 87% of those who used chiropractic care rated their health as good or excellent compared with only 68% in the non-chiropractic group
• Only 13% of those who used chiropractic care rated their health as fair or poor compared with 32% in the non-chiropractic group
• 44% of those who used chiropractic care reported having arthritis compared with 66% in the non-chiropractic care group
• Those who used chiropractic care were more likely to still be doing strenuous levels of exercise
• At 3 years follow-up, less than 5% of those who used chiropractic care used a nursing home while a staggering 48% of those who did not use chiropractic care did use a nursing home
• At 3 years follow-up, only 26% of those who used chiropractic care were hospitalized compared with 48% of those in the non-chiropractic group

(Coulter, PhD et al. Chiropractic and Care for the Elderly. Top Clin Chiro 1996; 3(2):46-55.)