As chiropractors, we are often asked at what point chiropractic is either necessary or no longer needed. Sometimes it is in passing, sometimes it is family or friends, other times it is potential patients walking into your office. Either way, the message remains the same. When is chiropractic too soon or no longer beneficial for me? The answer to that question is simple. Never. I often tell my patients, “those who need chiropractic, are those who have spines”. Those of us somewhere in between, like you and me, typically resort to chiropractic as a response mechanism. We either took a spill, had a long flight, or maybe overdid ourselves with the house or yard work. Some of us might actually use a chiropractic office the way it is intended, which is on a regular maintenance type level. And although chiropractic continues to evolve, and the application of the profession is ever changing, that does not change its target audience.

If you think about the times that you most need chiropractic, it is typically when your body is placed under the most stress. Now to answer the first part of this leading question, which is “When is chiropractic too soon?” If you ask a chiropractor that question, they will likely tell you the answer is never. Can you genuinely think of a time that you were under more physical stress than during your own birth? Now, since most of us cannot remember this instance, if you were to ask your parents, I’m sure they would be happy to tell you how traumatic it was. Being mostly cartilage at birth, it is imperative that your body is properly situated and mobile in the correct positioning from the onset of your functional life and the solidification of your skeleton. If it is not, this can lead to dynamic and mechanical compensations in day-to-day function from your very first movements.Therefore, chiropractic can and should be utilized for children at the earliest convenience. However, with chiropractic being a very wide scope, nowadays, there are certain forms and applications of chiropractic that are not beneficial for the pediatric community. Namely, the more aggressive muscle based therapies such as dry, needling or soft tissue manual therapy are not incredibly helpful due to their more aggressive response to the body. So while all forms of chiropractic may not be directly applicable, until we reach a certain age, the chiropractic adjustment as it is mostly performed, can be useful at the earliest instance for young children.

Let’s break down even further the specific reasons why chiropractic work in children is beneficial. Apart from the previously listed example that is reconfiguring or restructuring the trauma of childbirth, there are three other excellent applications for pediatric chiropractic. Those include: the work in digestive health or colicky response, improving sleep performance or latching difficulty and most importantly, supporting proper functional development. 

Consistent long-term studies have proven that gentle spinal manipulation in babies, or infants can help ease in agitation, crying, constipation and even colic. If you could tell any mother to a newborn that the simple chiropractic adjustment would alleviate these tremendous concerns, I’m sure you can imagine the line that would be wrapping around the building every day. Manipulating the spine and creating proper neurological communication within the functional body, allows for proper nervous system communication and development to allow for normal everyday bodily functions to be performed with ease. 

Regularly performed spinal manipulations can also improve sleep, quality and duration due to decreased agitation in the musculoskeletal system. It can also decrease problems during breast-feeding, such as latching or torticollis. These commonly occur when the body has dysfunctional or decreased motion or function. The adjustment allows for the release in neuromuscular tension, which creates a healthier and more thorough sleep pattern, and prevents musculoskeletal irritation, such as torticollis. 

Lastly, regular chiropractic work aids, and the proper neurological and biomechanical development that occurs throughout childhood. This includes the healthy growth and function of the human spine as well as the proper development of the nervous system and the proper installation of the body’s immune system. Creating proper and functional alignment within the spine, also continues to improve the function of the nervous system, which boosts the function of the immune system, which can help with other day-to-day nuisances such as ear infections, cold symptoms, and even allergies. Regular chiropractic care also assists in creating the proper spinal alignment which will assist in supporting the proper development of the child’s motor skills for early movements, such as crawling and walking. These are all crucial pieces to the developmental process of childhood.

Now we can move onto the geriatric population. Chiropractic is generally used for the geriatric population to assist in maintaining or managing age related concerns related to one’s independence, and the general improvement of the quality of life. This can consist of anything from activities of daily living, such as sleeping, walking, standing from a seated position and even getting out of bed in the morning. The main reasons a more mature individual might seek chiropractic consist of: management of pain, improvement in mobility and flexibility, added stability to prevent falls, reducing the degeneration of the spine and other joints, as well as improvement of the neuromuscular system.

Pain management is a crucial part of daily quality of life for all individuals, but especially the geriatric population. Over our lifespan, the added wear and tear that we force onto our joints and muscles creates not only daily aches, but can also instigate sharper and more intense painful responses. Chiropractic can provide a non-pharmaceutical relief for things like arthritis, joint pain and other chronic conditions individuals suffer with on a daily basis. If you can visualize the day today, pill divider that your grandparents might be taking, there are already enough pharmaceutical interventions being thrust upon them, chiropractic takes a different approach, effectively reducing tension on the nervous system and the musculoskeletal reflection to decrease pain without adding pharmaceutical intervention.

Gentle chiropractic manipulation can improve both mobility and flexibility in the more mature population. This is done by improving the function of the body’s joints, as well as reducing muscle tension to improve one’s range of motion and overall body flexibility. This simultaneously improves one’s balance and coordination by optimizing the neurological communication from the brain to the remainder of the body. As we age, not only do the aches and pains continue to add up in the joints, but the arthritic degeneration that occurs creates a natural instability. With guided chiropractic dynamic rehab rehabilitation, we can address muscle tension and instability issues with supplemental functional exercises, including core strength, and proper activation of essential muscle groups to allow for additional regions of the body to assist degenerated joints.

This is where the additional modality application of chiropractic becomes essential. While the pediatric population may only directly benefit from the chiropractic adjustment, the geriatric population receives an emphatic and essential benefit of additional tools such as dry needling, soft tissue manipulation, and dynamic functional rehabilitation. These are additive tools that when combined with the chiropractic adjustment, not only improve one’s general quality of life, but also enhance the day-to-day functionality and essential communication within the body. Let’s break down these individual treatments and why they create an added benefit within the geriatric population.

Dry needling, or medical grade acupuncture, is the use of micro thin filaments to penetrate through the skin layer and effect direct musculoskeletal involvement. The insertion of these tiny filaments into the muscle bellies allows for an instantaneous relief of tension, as well as immediate relief and improvement with pain as well as improving communication within the nervous system. Targeted medical acupuncture can relieve overworked and agitated muscle groups, such as the lumbar paraspinals, gluteal muscle muscles, or even the lower extremity muscles. This directly improves one’s flexibility and range of motion. Decreased tensile resistance in the muscle fibers allows for an improved range of motion, as well as an improved overall quality of life. These are essential qualities that the geriatric population struggle with on a day-to-day basis.

Now moving onto the subsequent treatment modality. Soft tissue manual therapy is a generalized umbrella term for massage therapy applied here at IHS. While this is typically done through the use of a tool, such as a Guasha or a Graston instrument, this also includes direct skin to skin contact with the doctor’s hands. Additional soft tissue techniques, such as ART, can be applied along with the use of instrumentation to further reduce muscle tension and improve blood flow and circulation to the muscular region. This is most effectively received in combination with dry needling. Decreased muscle tension resistance, like that felt directly after dry needling, allows for a decreased resistance against the vasculature in the body which directly improves blood flow circulation, speeding up the healing response within the body.

Lastly, we move on to dynamic or functional rehabilitation. This is the treatment modality, most patients assimilate with physical therapy, this discussion and modality can be applied to anything ranging from a stretch to a core exercise or even something as simple as your ergonomic posture. This is one of, if not, the most imperative treatment option offered at IHS. This is the education portion which allows the patient to not only understand how and why their body works the way that it does, but it gives them the tools necessary to assist in their recovery on a day-to-day basis. 

I typically use this as a comparative example to the dentistry field. When you go to the dentist for a problem whether that may be a cavity, a filling, or even a root canal, you see that doctor for a short period of time to correct the issue. However, the dentist will consistently stress to you the importance of not only brushing, but flossing and other day to day helpful tips to aid in your general oral health. This is no different from chiropractic. We give you the day to day tools such as stretches and exercises to assist you in your day-to-day function, not because you are in continued pain, but because you would like to stay that way. One does not brush their teeth every day because their teeth bother them. They continue to brush them because they know it’s good for them in the long-term. Things like core strengthening, daily soft tissue release, and the proper ergonomic, seated or sleeping posture can make all the difference in one’s daily quality of life.

All in all, what we are trying to say here is that the use of chiropractic is not only effective, but essential for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. Just because you are a newborn baby that can’t support themselves independently or you are a sage and mature individual whose body is beginning to fail them, does not mean that chiropractic is not for you. The application and individual modalities used might differ from patient to patient, but that is no different from everyday individuals. If you lead a more active versus a more sedentary lifestyle, the approach taken by your chiropractor will vary drastically to that of an individual on the opposite side of the spectrum. A chiropractor will not treat a baby the same way they will treat a grandparent or older individual. But they will be helpful nonetheless.

Hopefully this addressed a few concerns for some of us out there, wondering if chiropractic could be the proper outlet for us. However, if you find yourself with more questions that were not effectively answered in this blog, simply reaching out to us via phone call or email, or setting up a new patient visit online with one of our doctors is the most effective way to get a direct and individualized treatment plan for your specific needs and get the most adequate help available to you. All of our thoroughly educated doctors are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to help you get from where you are to where you want to be! We look forward to meeting you and getting that opportunity. 

Content Provided By: Dr. Jordan Miller