Chiropractic First… For Teens!
Participation in sports or exercise is an important step in maintaining your health. Exercise strengthens your heart, bones, and joints and reduces stress, among many other benefits.
Unfortunately, injuries during participation in sports are all too common, especially in children and teens. Often, these injuries occur in someone who is just taking up sports as a form of activity, doesn’t use proper safety equipment or becomes overzealous about the exercise regimen.
The more commonly injured areas of the body are the ankles, knees, shoulders, elbows, and spine.
Identifying and correcting biomechanical issues or weakness to joints with your chiropractor is a great way to be proactive in preventing sports injuries for all ages. In addition, getting chiropractic care for injuries sustained is a great way to minimize their recurrence.
For teens who are either inactive, are injured or suffer from back pain, chiropractic offers effective treatment options. Low back pain has been incorrectly thought of as being something only adults experienced. While it is estimated that up to 80% of adults get low back pain at some time, one out four teens will also get this pain. The same research is also identifying that teenagers with back pain have trouble sleeping and participating in school and social activities. In addition, teens dealing with back pain also have a higher incidence of eating disorders and trouble meeting friends.
The following can cause your teen to have back pain:
- Bad posture
- Leaning over to play video games
- Sitting to long using the computer
- Heavy back packs
- Emotional stresses
- A medical condition
- Sports injury
- Being overweight
- School bags on just one shoulder
In some case rare conditions, a child may be born with spinal disorder. The most common condition is scoliosis, which causes an S-shape curve that is exaggerated. This condition is more common in girls than boys and tends not to be painful. If a parent is concerned they should consult one of our doctors trained to evaluate for scoliosis.
Parents can encourage their children in a number of ways to help prevent lower back pain.
- First is to maintain good posture.
- Don’t overload backpacks.
- Warm up before exercise.
- Stay active and learn how to be safe when engaging in activities like skateboarding, skiing, and playing sports.
Parents consider seeking help from a chiropractor for your teens to help them enjoy a much more active life.
