More often than not, when we think about chiropractic practice, we tend to think of adult care. We frequently overlook the benefits that treatment can offer younger populations. But, as the twig bends, so grows the tree.

鈥淲hen a child鈥檚 spine is misaligned, even if only by a few degrees, this tiny deviation will grow larger over the years to the point where once we become adults, it鈥檚 a really significant problem,鈥� explains Dr. Ryan Harris from .

Benefits of chiropractic care for children:

Regardless of whether your child is experiencing pain or not, chiropractic treatment is useful. It鈥檚 typically quick to stabilize a condition, which facilitates its maintenance throughout their lives, helping to support a healthy spine.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to remember that there鈥檚 no blood supply to the discs for your spinal joints, so for it to stay healthy you require full motion of that joint. Within a couple of weeks of a joint getting stuck, it鈥檒l start to break down and erode 鈥� fast forward 10 to 20 years and there鈥檚 a lot of damage there,鈥� Dr. Harris notes.

Common issues:

A pelvic shift is a very common issue that Dr. Harris sees in his adult patients, which resulted from childhood injuries. This usually occurs from a fall when you were younger, such as taking a tumble while playing hockey, which then shifts the pelvis affecting how the legs sit. In fact, one leg appears shorter, which often sees you leaning to one side, putting an 15 to 20 extra pounds of weight onto it.

鈥淎 lot of knee replacements that I see in the elderly population that I treat comes from a twisted pelvis that could have easily been adjusted when they were children,鈥� Dr. Harris says.

Adjusting children and infants is much more gentle than with adults. In fact, Dr. Harris has adjusted babies as young as three days old! Because children鈥檚 bodies move more easily than adults and they have less history of injury, the adjustment is extraordinarily light (on a baby the level of pressure could be compared to the pressure you might put on your eye). While the results are the same, the process is a little different.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really fun process, we鈥檙e laughing and having fun! The kids actually love the sound of the cracks, they get a kick out of it, it鈥檚 quite funny,鈥� Dr. Harris notes.

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