School is about to begin which means that families are gearing up for busy schedules, homework, after school activities and the hectic pace of our 21st century lifestyles. To insure that your child has a healthy and successful year, it will be important to have their back aligned, balanced and on track.
Every activity affects the spine. Contact sports, playing an instrument, sitting, studying, and paying attention in class are all important for a successful school year and they all require a healthy spine and nervous system. When your child is sitting in class listening to a teacher, they listen through their ears, process the information in their brain, and a signal is sent down their spine to their fingers so that they can write their notes which they will later study. If a child is playing an instrument, the instructor often tells them to sit up straight. A healthy spine with good alignment and nerve supply is essential to performance in the classroom and activities.
When we watch our kids participating in sports, we often cringe at the intense beating that their spines take when they are hit by another person or twisted through their activities. Keeping their spine aligned and balanced is crucial for them to be able to enjoy a healthy and successful year and have a healthy spine for a lifetime.
Children make 775,000 visits to the emergency room each year because of sports-related injuries. Every 2 and a half minutes a child is injured on a playground. 150,000 kids are treated in the emergency room for football injuries. These injuries are often accompanied by trauma to the child’s developing spine and nervous system. More than 40 Million students carry school backpacks. Backpacks that are too heavy or worn incorrectly can injure your child’s back, neck and shoulders, which can lead to other health problems.
Heavy backpacks, playground and sports injuries can cause non-structural or functional scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine that typically appears in early adolescence. This type of scoliosis develops as a result of misalignment and pressure on the spine and nerve system. Functional scoliosis can often be corrected by addressing the underlying condition through chiropractic care. Kids can injure their spine and remain symptom free until later on in life when the damage becomes more permanent. This, too, can be avoided with regular chiropractic care.
British medical researchers have found through MRI technology that nearly 10% of children show signs of disc degeneration before reaching puberty.
Disc degeneration is a condition in which a damaged spinal disc wears down unevenly causing pressure on the nerves and limiting activity levels, stamina, and quality of life as we age. We tend to think of disc degeneration as a sign that we are getting older but this is not true. It is a sign that the spine has been injured which can happen at any age.
There are so many things to do to prepare for the upcoming school year. As you make your list remember to make an appointment for a “School’s Back” Spinal Exam. This simple examination can determine if your child’s spine is on track or off track. Chiropractic care can keep your child’s spine and nerve system healthy and insure your best school year ever. Get them started on the right track today!
