Pediatrics

A maintenance worker was planting trees along the median of a divided street. These new trees were thin and frail. He softened the ground where the trees were to be planted. The trees were bound by twine between two very strong wooden poles. The poles were there to make sure that the trees would grow straight. The worker would drive by regularly to insure that the trees were okay and growing well. Sometimes the wind and rain would bend them over a little and he would have to straighten them again between the two poles. As the trees grew, the wooden poles were removed and the worker did not have to come by as often. But, when he did, he made sure that they were well watered and fertilized, and trimmed them to keep them looking neat.

 The role of children’s lives is similar to this story. When a child is born, the stress of the delivery can be outstanding. These stresses can lead to vertebrae being pulled out of position, allowing nerves to be impinged. This impingement may interrupt the flow of nerve impulses to the parts of the body they innervate, thus causing dysfunction.

The first year of a child’s life is the year of the most rapid growth. The brain grows about 65% of the adult size brain (this includes a good portion of the spinal cord as well). The average child grows in length about 10 inches and weighs in at their first birthday at about 3 times their birth weight.

Like those little trees, we need to make sure that they get a great start by growing straight, and to monitor them at regular intervals in order to give them the best chance at this. As  a member of a group of chiropractors that teach pediatric diagnosis in chiropractic colleges, I was able to help set chiropractic standards of care for pediatric patients. Our recommendations are now taught in almost every chiropractic college as true standards of care for a well-child.