Doctors of Chiropractic hear from parents that they appreciate the importance of regular check-ups for their child’s teeth, eyes and ears, but they draw a blank when it comes to a spinal check-up. Yet that could be one of the most important check-ups you child will ever have.

You might be surprised to learn that most adult problems chiropractors deal with actually have a start in the childhood. For example, the “growing pains’ of a 12-year-old boy can become crippling low back and leg pains in the adulthood; the “jolly jumpers” used by a toddler can cause spinal curvatures (scoliosis) in the adolescent. Your child’s spine is his or her lifeline. Running through it is the spinal cord containing billions of nerves that send messages and information from the brain to every part of the body and back again.

Yes, we all have our very own Internet! As long as none of these messages are interrupted, your child should have optimal function and the best health possible. If, however there is any interference with this ”information highway,” the message sent by the brain will not reach the part of the body it is intended to reach. As a result, the body starts to work improperly. Chiropractors call this “malfunction.” It can be a serious threat to health. This interference will often affect our immune system, which will lower body resistance and leave your child prey to various bugs and infections. Or perhaps it will affect your child’s digestive system. This can cause constipation, irritable bowel syndrome or worse, Crohn’s disease. The examples go on and on. Any function of our body can be affected...heart, lungs, sinuses, ears with symptoms such as headaches, allergies, ear infections.