Chiropractic is a vital tool for health and wellness for all people, no matter the age. They could be a day old or a day past 110! Having a properly functioning spine and nervous system is important for everyone. Dr. Hedrix uses a variety of tools to be sure that her patients, young and old, get the best chiropractic care that will be the safest and most effective for them individually.
Kids and Chiropractic
Children absolutely need chiropractic care. Right from the start, they are constantly encountering physical trauma. This birth process can be hard on a baby, and subluxation can start there. Then with every bump, fall, slip, and spill, their bodies encounter more trauma and that also can cause subluxation. It is important to get your child’s spine evaluated occasionally just to make sure all is well.
It is also important to recognize that, just like adults, children frequently suffer from back or neck pain and headaches, common ailments that chiropractic is very effective at treating. Please do not ignore it when your kids tell you they have back pain! Bring them in to the office just to get it checked out.
The good thing is kids heal quickly! They don’t need to see a chiropractor nearly as often as adults do because their bodies are growing so quickly.
Another great reason to take your child to a chiropractor is to check for scoliosis or abnormal spinal curvatures. Catching these common problems early can help reduce the severity of the effects of scoliosis down the road.
Something else your chiropractor can help your child with is evaluating and adjusting their backpack. Backpacks are a major source of back pain for children and can lead to poor posture and problems down the road. Ask Dr. Hedrix about how to adjust your child’s backpack—she would be happy to help!
Adjusting children is done far more gently (with less force and pressure) than on adults because they are much smaller. Most kids love to be adjusted and say they feel better afterward. Sometimes the “popping” sound is scary and that upsets them, but they usually calm down quickly when they realize it did not hurt.
Pregnancy and Chiropractic
Chiropractic is essential for the mother-to-be. It is safe and effective and will not harm her growing child.
Pregnancy is a time when most women experience a moderate to severe amount of discomfort—and we aren’t just talking about the actual birth. Being pregnant puts a lot of stress on the body, particularly the joints of the body as the pelvis changes shape and the spine compensates for that change. As pain medications are often avoided, or not an option during pregnancy, chiropractic is a safe, natural, alternative for managing the aches and pains associated with pregnancy.
Chiropractic adjustments help to provide balance to the pelvis as it gradually shifts for the birth process. When the pelvis is balanced, it allows more room for the baby to move and shift position in preparation for birth.
Chiropractic can help mothers-to-be become more comfortable and experience less pain by adjusting their bodies so they can better adapt to all the changes in their bodies and help their nervous system optimally function.
Aging and Chiropractic
As we age, it is easy to feel like our bodies are “falling apart.” Things become tired and worn out from years of use (and abuse!). Our bodies naturally degenerate from this wear and tear over the years.
It is so important to take care of your body! Start now! It is never too late to make positive changes that will impact you for the future.
If you are young, that’s great! Exercise, nutrition, and chiropractic care will help your body age slower. Being overweight, having toxins built up in the body, and having a lack of movement in your joints will cause the aging process to be more severe.
Chiropractic care helps the aging process by slowing and sometimes even stopping degeneration of your joints from occurring. Regular chiropractic care keeps your joints moving properly, which wards off degeneration. Degeneration is commonly called “osteoarthritis” or “DJD.” It is mainly caused by lack of movement or too much movement at the area(s) the degeneration occurs. Chiropractic adjustments restore a proper balance of movement to the body, which helps to slow the degenerative processes in our bodies.
If you already have some degeneration, pain, or other health issues as a result of aging, chiropractic can still help! Dr. Hedrix can help you manage your symptoms and keep the problems from getting worse through regular chiropractic care and healthy lifestyle changes.
If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia, you are still a candidate for chiropractic care. Please call Dr. Hedrix to talk to her about how she can help you age more gracefully!
