Special SPines
BY DORTE BLADT
Kids are different
A common point made by chiropractic paediatric educators is that providing chiropractic care for children is not like treating a mini-adult. As if anyone would ever make that mistake - they even look different on the outside. But even as children grow and start getting more adult-like symptoms, such as lower back pain, it is worth keeping this point in mind. Take for example the sacrum, which is such a frequent adjustment contact point for many chiropractic techniques. Did you know this important bone actually consists of five separate bones until late adolescence? It is wild to think that they don’t start to fuse until around the age of 16-18 years, and fusion is not complete until 25-30 years-of-age. This obviously means that, in addition to dural tension, sacro-iliac and sacral subluxations, there are several misalignments possible at each individual sacral bone level in children and teens. In addition to this, the posterior arches of the sacral bones are not ossified in little ones, a vital reminder for using appropriate force on sacral contact points.
Adding arrows to your quiver
Chiropractic adjustments, of course, don’t fix anything. Adjustments remove nervous system interference, allowing the body and brain to connect and function as well as they can. However, given the common presentations in children involving the parasympathetic nervous system: colic, reflux, bedwetting, constipation and the like, knowing these other possible sacral subluxation complexes may just add another string to your bow.
Yours in Health,
Dorte and The Family Chiro Team
