by Heather Alday

Q: A friend's child was recently diagnosed with scoliosis and is seeing a chiropractor. Is chiropractic care safe for children?

A: Scoliosis is something we hear about quite often when children are school age. Most children are checked at school with a very simple test that sometimes fails to detect scoliosis in the earliest stages when it is most correctable. Scoliosis is an abnormal curve of the spine from side to side, and if the curve is severe, it takes on the shape of an “S” or “C” curve. One of the best methods for being able to detect and measure scoliosis is through X-ray.

Research shows that children diagnosed with scoliosis are helped with chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic is the art and science of adjusting the spine to keep the nervous system clear of any interference. Abnormalities such as scoliosis lead people to seek chiropractic care, but problems from misuse or overuse are more common.

When the movable bones of the spine are not moving correctly, they cause pressure on the nerves, which can cause malfunction resulting in pain and other symptoms. An array of symptoms can occur from pressure on the nerves—musculoskeletal symptoms such as neck, mid-back or low-back pain, as well as other less obvious symptoms.

Chiropractic is positively safe and effective for treating children as well as adults. The treatments are very gentle. Problems in childhood could come from the birth process in which the infant is pulled from the birth canal. Other types of problems can come from falls, accidents, stress and tension.

Sometimes, even when there is nerve interference, symptoms may not surface. Since problems caught early are often easier to correct, I encourage children, parents and even grandparents to seek periodic spinal checkups. Chiropractic care is safe and effective for all age groups from the newborn to the elderly.

Dr. Alday is a Georgia native and has been a practicing chiropractor in Columbus since 2001. Her new office is located at 5027 15th Avenue.

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