Chiropractic Care for Children and Leg Pain
Children, just like adults are subject to pain. It is not uncommon for children, as young as infants, to experience back pains, back leg pain, back spasms, or even sciatica back pain. The source of pain for children can involve a specific sports injury, any other type of unexpected injury, alignment issues that occurred during birth, or even the simple act of growing.
Leg pain is one common complaint of many young children. One common source of back and leg pain that a child should seek treatment for is sciatica. Sciatica nerve problems can happen at any age. Sciatica is the result of inflammation due to compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs down the lower back and breaks off to each leg. Then, this nerve branches off into smaller nerves. Any pain relating to a sciatic nerve problem can eventually lead to leg pain. This is often an overlooked diagnosis in children who complain of persistent leg pain. A well trained chiropractor will be able to recognize whether or not the pain is due to a problem with the sciatic nerve. Sciatica cures depend on the extent of the condition and may involve sciatica exercises.
Another source of leg pain in children is the common difficulties associated with growing pains. Growing pains can affect nearly 20% of all children. Some people wrongfully assume growing pains are typically felt by fast growing teens. Some medical professionals also wrongfully give a diagnosis of growing pains when they simply cannot find another source of the pain. However, growing pains are very real and can occur in infants and also afflict children who are between 3 and 5 years old. This is a time of extremely rapid growth. During these periods in a child’s life, there is intense pressure put on the spine and the nervous system. It is not unusual for children to suffer a great deal with joint and muscle pain as a result of this stress.
Leg pain in children may also be the result of patella Femoral Pain Syndrome. This particular problem presents itself with pain felt right under the knee cap. It can come about without warning and is also often misdiagnosed in children. Some doctors will simply write it off as normal growing pains that the child should bear and may outgrow.
All of these sources of leg pain in children should not be ignored or just approached with a “wait and see if you outgrow it” attitude toward treatment. If a child is in pain, a chiropractor specializing in children can help in many ways. More often than not, simple adjustments can go a long way in alleviating the pain. If the child is adjusted early on, problems with alignment can be detected early enough to actually spare the child any unusual pain.
The years that a child grows the most can put a lot of stress on the body. If pain in children is only treated through pain medication, there is risk of long term damage to the stomach, kidneys, and liver. If left entirely untreated the pain can lead to bad posture, spinal distortion and painful movements. Chiropractic treatment for childhood leg pain can give the child’s body a natural and safe option for pain relief and fix the root cause of the problem rather than just treating the symptoms.
No child should ever have to just deal with pain. Regardless of the source, a chiropractor who specializes in children can help ease the pain.