Chiropractic & Kids

The Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics has often featured articles about the chiropractic care of children. Here are three cases that might surprise you.  I find that even the most devoted chiropractic adults don’t think about getting their kids checked.  Obviously this is not out of a lack of concern or neglect it’s simply that many people believe you need to have back pain or headaches to benefit from chiropractic care.  Here are a few published cases that might change how you look at things.

The first case was from England and focused on chiropractic care for infantile colic.  Colic is also known as inconsolable crying syndrome and it affects up to 25% of newborns.  The cause is unknown but is thought to be secondary to gastric reflux, migraines or another undetectable problem.  In essence, the baby is crying for hours at a time for no clear reason.  In the study, they looked at 100 infants and compared results from those being treated with chiropractic versus those treated medically with different drugs.  They found that most cases resolved with both treatments but that the cost of the medical care was nearly 20 times greater than that of the chiropractic care.  The average number of visits to get results under chiropractic was just four adjustments.

Another case looked at pediatric cough and chiropractic care.  The researchers were looking to see if there was a connection to the nervous system and something as common as a cough.  Not only did they find a connection, but they recognized an unusual pattern.  They found that a wet (mucus) cough was associated with nerve irritation and spinal levels in the upper neck while a dry cough is associated with nerve irritation and spinal levels in the upper back.  While this information is more important to the chiropractor, it should be noted that nerve pressure at a spinal level can be related to mucus production (from the neck) and constriction of the bronchioles in the lungs (from the upper back) and conversely that reduction of that nerve pressure can be helpful to resolve such conditions.

A final case involved a 14-year-old ballet dancer with hip pain on both sides and restriction of movement that was keeping her from performing.  The pain came without warning or cause and was not responding to other treatment.  Full-spine chiropractic adjustments were applied following an exam to identify misalignments to the spine.  The result with ten adjustments was complete resolution of pain and restricted hip movement and the young girl was able to return to ballet without complication.

If you talk to any chiropractor about these cases, you will find that they all have similar stories and results.  As for myself, I’ve seen miraculous results with pediatric asthma and constipation.  The reason it’s so much easier to get rapid results with kids is that they are still developing and their systems are very adaptive.  Furthermore, they haven’t had the time and opportunity to accumulate all the physical, chemical, and emotional stresses that cause distress and dis-ease in the body to begin with.  This is precisely why the standard pediatric guidelines to chiropractic care is on average around 6-10 adjustments.  The most important take-home from these cases is to realize that chiropractic care is more than just back pain.  When you restore the spine back to its normal alignment and movement to reduce pressure off the nervous system, the body adapts better and performs more efficiently.

Why Before What

One of the concepts emphasized in our Wellness Program is to always put the “Why” before the “What.”  In other words, we all know “what” we could be doing for better health and wellness, but until we have a big enough “why” to do those things, we probably won’t change our habits.  With this in mind, I’m still shocked at how many people I speak to that have never even considered supplementing with an omega 3 fatty acid such as fish oil; even when fish oils have been proven beneficial in reducing symptoms in everything from arthritis to Alzheimer’s.  The only logical reason is that they don’t understand why omega 3 fatty acids are truly so essential.

First of all, even though fish oils have been proven helpful in a long laundry list of ailments and symptoms, this is not why you should take them.  The only reason to take fish oil is to provide your body with the essential omega three fatty acids that are required to produce the hormones that reduce inflammation.  When you reduce inflammation in the body you effectively reduce your risk of every disease known to man.  Most every client I see is burdened with symptoms of chronic inflammation that is usually the result of prolonged low level stress and/or poor dietary choices.  The problem with omega 3’s is that your body doesn’t produce them – we must get them from outside sources.  Why shouldn’t we get these naturally from our diet?  The truth is, we should get omega 3’s from diet, but we’ve screwed this up.  Beef, chicken (and other meats) that are raised on grass are considered “free range” and produce healthy proteins that are rich in omega 3’s.  Unfortunately, most all our sources are raised on grains that are pro-inflammatory and produce omega 6 fatty acids.  Why do we need to take a fish oil capsule; why not just eat more fish?  Two reasons for this: first most of our fish is now farm raised and farmers have found a way to produce a pellet made from corn that fish will eat.  This is a pro-inflammatory grain that no self-respecting fish would normally ever eat.  Secondly, for various reasons, our water supplies have become so toxic with mercury that consuming the fish that would normally be our highest quality protein is not safe to eat more than 2-3 times per week.  Most fish oil is caught in the wild from the south of Africa and purified to eliminate all the mercury.

While I’m a big believer that we should be able to get everything we need naturally from a healthy and balanced diet, I just don’t see that we have a choice with these omega 3’s.  Vegetarians will often need to supplement more.  If you are a vegan and won’t do the fish oil, you will have to take larger amounts of things like flax seed, walnuts or algae oil to satisfy your requirements because fish oil is ten times stronger than these other sources.  Whatever the case, consider these healthy oils for better wellness.

Heart Rate Variability

The end goal of chiropractic care is to improve the overall function and well-being of the patient. This includes improving the function of the spine, joints, nervous system, and organs. Proper functions of the body allow for a healthier and more adaptable human, giving the person the ability to deal with the stresses of everyday life.

A quick, easy, and effective way to determine the function of the autonomic nervous system and the adaptability of the body is to measure heart rate variability (HRV). The autonomic nervous system controls all of the vital functions of the body including heart rate, and is divided into the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems. If a patient is healthy and highly adaptable they can quickly switch back and forth between fight or flight, and rest and digest. This patient would have a high HRV measure. If a patient is unhealthy and not highly adaptable they cannot quickly switch between fight or flight and rest and digest. This patient would have a low heart rate variability.

Adaptability is important for every person because we shouldn’t always be stuck in either fight or flight, or rest and digest. When someone is always stuck in fight or flight their body is going to be highly stressed and they may experience restlessness, anxiety, muscle pains, etc. Vice versa, if someone is always in rest and digest mode they may have cardiovascular issues, obesity, and the list goes on.

Stop into Rivertown Chiropractic to get your adaptability tested! Ask for your heart rate variability test. 

Early Onset Scoliosis

What is scoliosis?

            Scoliosis is defined as any lateral curvature of the spine that is greater than 10 degrees when measured. It is classified depending on the age of the patient and the magnitude, direction, location and cause of the spinal curve. There are three classifications based on the age at which the curvature began. Infantile scoliosis starts from birth up until 3 years old. Juvenile scoliosis begins between the ages of 4 and 9. Adolescent scoliosis begins after the age of 10. The earlier the curvature begins, the greater the risk for curve progression. The most common area for a scoliotic curve is in the thoracic spine, but it can develop at any spinal level. The direction of the curve is also important. The curve can either have its convex side on the left or on the right. This has a large impact on the prognosis and potential for future problems and symptoms. A left sided curve has a greater risk to impede on heart and lung function.

How is scoliosis treated/managed?

            The treatment/management of scoliosis varies depending on the classification of scoliosis. However, the main goal in all cases of early onset scoliosis is to limit the progression of the curve until the patient is skeletally mature, along with preserving proper heart and lung function. Once skeletally mature the progression of the curve is almost always stopped. Different treatment options include, casting and bracing, surgery if absolutely necessary, chiropractic care and physical therapy.

References:

1. Larson, Natalie. “Early Onset Scoliosis: What the Primary Care Provider Needs to Know and Implications for Practice.” Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, vol. 23, 2011, pp. 392–403., doi:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00634.x.

Low Level Laser Therapy

Have you ever heard of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)? This is a treatment technique that we use at Rivertown Chiropractic. 

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) has been researched more over the last couple of decades than ever before and is now being recognized as a great treatment for all sorts of illnesses. It can bring relief to conditions ranging from musculoskeletal disorders such as neck and low back pain to different brain disorders such as ADHD.

So what is LLLT and how can it help a wide variety of ailments? This form of therapy uses light that has a specific frequency between approximately 400 nm to 600 nm, this is the visible light spectrum. The light emitted from the laser activates the mitochondria within our cells. We all learned in high school that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. The mitochondria are what produce energy for our cells in the form of a molecule called ATP. This ATP is essential for all functions of our cells, including healing. The increased energy coming from this boost in ATP production allows our cells to heal and recover quicker than they would have without the extra energy.

For more information on LLLT and our PL Touch Laser, feel free to talk to either Dr. Tyler or Dr. Geoff the next time that you’re in the office.

Cervical Proprioception & It's Link to Neck Pain

Last week we learned that proprioception is the ability of your body to determine its position and movements in open space. This week we are going to continue with the topic of proprioception and how it can affect your neck pain. Studies have shown a link between decreased proprioception and increased neck pain.

There are a large number of proprioceptive sensors in the muscles and joints of the cervical spine. According to a research article published in 2019, “cervical proprioception is critical in the maintenance of posture and movements”. ¹ The study took 132 people with cervical spondylosis, which is degeneration of the joints, and 132 people without cervical degeneration and they compared their proprioception by using a joint position error (JPE) test. This JPE test measures how accurately a person can re-center their head on their shoulders after rotation of their body. The study then compared the results of the JPE test with neck pain.

The results showed that cervical proprioception was largely decreased in people with cervical degeneration, and that people with decreased cervical proprioception have a greater amount of neck pain.

To avoid cervical degeneration and decreased proprioception it is important to do three things. Eat well, move well, and think well. Eating well keeps our bodies fueled and running properly as well as giving our bodies what they need to heal. Moving well keeps our bones, joints and muscles healthy and strong. Thinking well keeps the stress away and allows our bodies to focus on healing and proper function instead. And don’t forget to get your chiropractic adjustments to keep your spine and nervous system functioning properly.

 

Reference

1. Reddy RS, Tedla JS, Dixit S, Abohashrh M. Cervical proprioception and its relationship with neck pain intensity in subjects with cervical spondylosis. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2019;20(1). Accessed December 14, 2020. http://search.ebscohost.com.palmer.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eoah&AN=51530089&site=ehost-live

Proprioception

Close your eyes and stick both of your arms out in front of you. Now, with your left index finger touch the tip of your nose, and now with the right finger. Easy enough, but how is it so easy even with your eyes closed? The answer is proprioception. Proprioception is a constant cycle of messages being sent from the body to the brain allowing the brain to know where our body parts are in space and what those body parts are doing. The process starts with movement of our skin, muscles, and joints. Sensors in these areas detect movement and send a signal to the brain relaying that message. This allows our bodies to coordinate movements and to move freely throughout space.

            A good example of proprioception working to our benefit is when we stumble and catch ourselves before falling to the ground. When we slip our body, using proprioception, recognizes that we are slipping and the body responds by trying to correct our feet and sticking out our arms to catch ourselves.

            Someone with decreased proprioception may experience balance issues with frequent slips and falls, uncoordinated movements, poor posture and general clumsiness. This person may also avoid certain activities that require coordination such as climbing up and down stairs, or walking on uneven ground.