2016 March

Chiropractic care for children- when should your child be adjusted? News from Fletcher Chiropractic in Boise, ID

When should your child be getting chiropractic care?

Parents are very well educated in keeping up to date on their children’s health and wellness. Most kids have their teeth checked at the dentist, eyes examined at school, height and weight assessed at well-child examinations, and have pre-participation sports physicals performed yearly. These are all best practices to ensure that your child is growing and developing according to plan, and these regular visits are important to the health and well-being of your child. What is often overlooked, however, is your child’s spinal health, and it is just as important to assess the development of their neck and back.

During a child’s development, they will undoubtedly take a lot of tumbles and falls while learning to walk, rough-housing with friends, and being involved in sports and recreational activities. The stress of carrying a backpack every day and sitting at a desk for hours can also have effects on a child’s posture. All of these little traumas have the tendency to jar the spine and joints of the body, thus causing misalignments in the spine. Spinal misalignments, or subluxations, can be painful or uncomfortable and will not go away on their own.

How might a subluxation present and how would a parent know their child might have subluxations?

As stated earlier, subluxations can cause discomfort or pain which your child may tell you about. Oftentimes pain will present itself during specific activities- swinging a baseball bat, climbing up the stairs of the slide, or when they wake up in the morning after sleeping on their stomach. If your child does not come right out and tell you they are in pain, there are other things to look for. You may notice they have one shoulder higher than the other or their neck doesn’t seem to turn as far one way compared to the other. Perhaps they have stiffness or an inability to bend forward and touch their toes, or maybe you notice when they walk that one foot flares outward. These are all possible signs of misalignment, and should be evaluated by a chiropractor to determine if an adjustment is needed to correct the problem.

What can you expect when bringing your child in to be examined?

A chiropractor will ask questions of both the child and parent to obtain as much information about the patient and their case as necessary. They will then perform a series of standard orthopedic tests to determine where the pain/discomfort/dysfunction is stemming from. The doctor will also evaluate the presence of any curvature to the spine which might indicate a scoliosis. When these tests are complete, they will then perform a chiropractic-specific exam to assess for subluxation. If it is determined that chiropractic is the best treatment option, a corrective adjustment will be delivered.

How do we adjust your child?

The child’s age and size are taken into account when decided how to adjust them. Babies and toddlers will often be adjusted manually with light fingertip pressure to the spine, or with the use of a mechanical instrument called an activator. An activator can deliver a very delicate and precise adjustment in a comfortable manner to correct misalignments. Older children and teens will often be adjusted very similarly to adults, but with less intensity. All adjustments are extremely specific and designed to decrease pressure on the nerves which will alleviate pain and straighten the spine. Chiropractic adjustments are both comfortable and safe.

If you have any further questions about whether your child needs to be adjusted, or would be interested in having his or her spine evaluated, please call our office to schedule an appointment. Mention this blog post for a FREE consult/exam ($70 value).

In Good Health,

Dr. Jillaine

How can chiropractic care help with over-use injuries? News from Fletcher Chiropractic in Boise, ID

The month of March is finally upon us, and the weather continues to get warmer. Most of us are itching to spend time outside, whether that be working in the backyard, playing catch with the kids, taking the pups for longer walks, or jumping into training for the first road race of the year. Whatever your spring-time activities may be, it’s important to ease into them gradually to prevent over-use injuries.

When we jump too quickly into new activities, or try to resume an activity that we haven’t done in some time, the usual consequence is muscular soreness and stiffness. This soreness may last from two to four days, and can be fairly uncomfortable or even painful with movement. Although bothersome, as long as the ache gradually decreases over time, it is usually nothing to be too concerned about. Some gentle massage, stretching, and a hot bath or two are usually the best treatment and should give relief in time. It is also very important to allow your body to recover by getting adequate sleep at night. However, if your discomfort becomes more intense, or does not go away with time, then there may be a more serious or underlying condition.

Some of the most common over-use conditions we see at our clinic as ambitious walkers and runners up their mileage are runner’s knee, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, hip pain, snapping hip, SI joint dysfunction, lower back pain, and ankle sprains. Although all of these conditions need to be treated individually and addressed in unique ways, ultimately poor structure and function along with asking our bodies to perform too much, too soon, are what lead to these disorders in the first place.

When we have been conditioned or trained to handle repetitive stress (walking, running, lifting, bending, etc.) our bodies are better able to manage that stress and recover. Maintaining cardiovascular health and muscular endurance is important, but equally as important is maintaining the health of your spine. As mentioned earlier, structural dysfunction is the reason for eventual injury due to faulty biomechanics. If we aren’t paying attention to how our spine and pelvis are aligned we can be unknowingly contributing to our low back, hip, knee, or ankle pain. Proper positioning of the spine is essential in not only the treatment of joint and mobility problems, but also the prevention of these issues in the first place.

If you’re thinking you have may pushed yourself too hard, you may be wondering
“What are some of the treatment options that a chiropractor may use to help?” The first thing we would need to do is evaluate the joints that may be affected, as well as the muscles surrounding the area. If it is determined that there are misalignments present, a gentle chiropractic adjustment will be performed to re-align the spine and any other joints that may be effected.  Trigger point therapy to taut or over-active muscles may be performed by itself or in conjunction with electrical muscle stimulation to decrease tightness. Rehabilitative exercises may also be prescribed to help re-train and strengthen muscles which are under-active or firing incorrectly. Usually a combination of these treatment options is used to get the patient out of pain, and allow them to function and recover correctly.

So, what are the take-aways from all of this?

a) Prevent over-use injuries in the first place by gradually increasing activity and giving your body time to recover between sessions

b) Listen to your body- Muscle soreness is sometimes unavoidable, but exercise and activity should NOT be painful. If aches and pains do not resolve in a few days (or get worse) seek further care.

c) Maintain the health of your spine on a regular basis to ensure proper alignment and function, thereby preventing the possibility of further back and joint pain in the future.

d) Enjoy the warm weather, and take care of yourselves!

If you think we may be able to help you or a loved one, call to schedule a FREE consult and exam (normally a $70 value). Mention the article when you call to schedule! 208-939-3000

In Good Health,

Dr. Jillaine