Have you ever noticed that some kids seem just a little clumsier than others? Have you ever worried that your child wasn’t developing the same as his or her peers or that they seem less coordinated than your other children?
As parents, it seems like there’s no end to the stresses and worries we have for our children. It’s easy to observe small behaviors and wonder if our child’s development is up to speed. This includes eye-hand coordination, balance, controlled body movement and posture.
Even if you have not been consulting with a chiropractor about your child’s care and wellbeing, end of the school year is a great time to get an assessment completed. As summer begins you know your little ones will be more active than normal. This means they’ll not only be stretching the bounds of their physicality more than usual but they’ll also likely be more out of sight. They’ll be riding their Strider Bikes up the street or playing basketball with friends, or heading down to Angostura or Pactola for a week with grandparents.
Among the abilities your chiropractor can test for in your kids:
Attention and concentration.
Body Awareness
Bilateral integration (determining dominant hand behaviors)
Hand-Eye coordination
Muscular Strength
Endurance
Self-regulation (determining alertness)
Posture control
Sensory processing (reacting to sensory stimulation)
Isolated movement (focusing awareness and movement to just one part of the body, like the right leg, the third finger, etc).
Children have both the same and different needs than teens and adults. A reminder that chiropractic care is safe and effective for patients of all ages. Along with regular visits to your pediatrician, consulting a chiropractor for your young children is a great way to establish a “baseline” assessment of your child’s development so that, as they grow, you can be more alert and aware of subtle changes.
A licensed Chiropractic doctor is specifically trained to observe any issues that might affect a person’s movement. Using applied pressure through gentle manual manipulation, a chiropractor can correct misalignments in the spine that might be causing stiffness or immobility. This not only improves a person’s range of movement but also provides pain relief. Kids can’t always explain what hurts but a trained family Chiropractor will know how to test and alleviate that pain.
Coordination issues often originate from the spinal column. Chiropractic spinal adjustment can greatly improve the condition of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder and other typical spinal concerns. DCD is a very rare condition and it’s easy to diagnose, putting parents’ fears at rest.
It’s also vitally important to establish good wellness and exercise practices at an early age. Rushmore Family Chiropractor can help you to determine what activities your baby, toddler and child are prepared for and what steps you can take as a family to ensure the future well-being of the ones that you love and worry about the most. Schedule your child’s appointment this week!
