Often when kids fall in the playground, topple from their bike, crash into things while wearing wheeled shoes, or hurt themselves in games and sports, they keep playing and do not tell their parents. This can lead to injuries not healing properly and increase the risk for a more serious injury down the road.
There are structural and physical developmental issues that need to be taken into consideration. Children are more susceptible to injuries because they have slower reaction times than adults; are less coordinated; and are still growing and developing. Kids often feel invincible and usually push safe boundaries when playing.
Injuries to children's spines are not unique to contact sports like football or martial arts. They are also seen in non-contact sports. Sports, such as golf, baseball, tennis, dance and gymnastics, require repetitive torque and hyperextension of the spine. This increases a child athlete’s risk for spinal misalignments also known as sublluxations.
In addition to repetitive torque and hyperextension, the pediatric spine can also have difficulty adapting to the concussive forces sustained in athletic activities. All three types of sports-induced stresses on the spine can result in spinal misalignments, also known as vertebral subluxations.
Subluxations in early stages may not produce pain. If left undiagnosed & untreated, subluxations can result in stress on the nervous system, muscle spasms, postural distortion and spinal decay. Nerves going to all parts of the body can be affected.
Child athletes who receive chiropractic care are less likely to have the life long patterns of ill health due to subluxations. Whether children are participating in contact or non-contact sports, a proper evaluation by a chiropractor can keep them in the game and help to minimize if not circumvent often, asymptomatic spinal damage and decay.
Athletes have been benefiting from Chiropractic care for many years. In fact, most elite and professional athletes use chiropractic care to prevent injuries and to increase their performance potential.
Chiropractors serve as team doctors for professional, college, & high school sports ranging from wrestling & track to dance & gymnastics.
Doctors of Chiropractic are trained and licensed to treat the entire neuro-musculoskeletal system and can provide advice on sports training, nutrition and injury prevention to young athletes.
www.berardchiropractic.com
678 Lowell St.
Methuen, Ma 01844