Two grade school basketball teams are playing a fast, hard-fought game in a local park field house. Suddenly, a boy drives to the hoop and knocks another boy to the hardwood.
Some in the crowd gasp. The boy lies flat on the court for a couple of minutes while the coaches check him for broken bones.
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| Dr. Joseph Coler, DC |
They help him to his feet, and he sniffles and limps to the bench while fans of both teams applaud.
As a precaution, his mother drives him to a hospital emergency room to be checked out. After a few tests, the ER physician says, “No broken bones. Just makes sure he gets plenty of rest. Kids heal quickly. He’ll be fine.”
But will he?
Not necessarily, according to a prominent local chiropractor specializing in sports injuries and rehabilitation.
“The human body is generally self-healing and self-regulating; and by some measures, children do tend to heal more quickly than adults,” says Dr. Joseph Coler, DC, owner of Coler Chiropractic, 6657 West Archer. “Yet all too often in situations like this, parents see their child’s pain fade away and mistakenly assume that all is well---when in fact, their child’s spine or other bone structure has suffered a misalignment or subluxation.”
A subluxation, Dr. Coler explains, can cause irritation or pressure to the nerves exiting out of the spine---potentially leading to numerous health disorders. Additionally, the improper alignment of the spinal joints creates body imbalance, causing progressive wear and tear on the spine. If left unchecked, this condition could lead to many serious conditions---such as osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease.
“I have also seen cases where an undiagnosed subluxation leads to chronic headaches in children,” he adds. “That can be confusing and frightening for parents, because they don’t understand why their son or daughter is suddenly having headaches; and they don’t understand that it may be connected to an undiagnosed subluxation caused by a sports injury they thought had healed.”
Chiropractic care, minimally invasive and effective, is designed to promote optimal health by bringing bones back into proper alignment and restoring full range of motion---allowing the body to heal itself.
“I often tell patients, ‘Running water does not freeze’ when talking about the importance of maintaining full range of motion,” Dr. Coler says. “Once a child has had an injury that prevents full range of motion---and it goes undiagnosed and untreated---that boy or girl may be set up for a lifetime of related health problems."
So what should a parent do?
Dr. Coler suggests having children brought in for an initial chiropractic exam and set of x-rays to establish a baseline that will prove useful in the future. Additionally, children (like adult patients) should be seen after an injury---to determine if a subluxation has occurred and to plan a course of chiropractic care to restore optimal health by restoring full range of motion.
For more information or to make an appointment for a free initial consultation, call Coler Chiropractic at 773-229-8888.
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