Saturday, March 1, 2014

Chiropractic and Neck Pain in Children | Yankton Chiropractor | Brian Olson SD



Children have been treated by chiropractors for spinal problems ever since
chiropractic was founded in 1895, and neck pain is no exception. Neck pain is
surprisingly common in kids, though not quite as common as it is in adults,
reaching a similar occurrence rate by age 18. Studies conducted in the United
States and in other countries report similar findings, leaving one to conclude
there is a high prevalence of neck pain in kids all over the world. There are
many causes of neck pain with a few being unique to children and some that could
be a warning sign of something dangerous, such as meningitis. But far more
commonly, neck pain in kids is NOT dangerous. Let’s take a look!
Looking at neck and shoulder pain in high-school-aged students, 931 males
between 16 and 19 years of age were surveyed. More than two out of five students
(44.3%) had recurrent neck and shoulder pain more than once a week with an
overall prevalence of 79.1%. THAT’S A LOT! The study reported the student’s
average sitting time was 10.2 hours a day, 59% did NOT sit up straight, and
11.9% reported that they stretched their neck and shoulders regularly throughout
the day. Students with recurrent neck and shoulder pain also reported frequent
fatigue and depressed moods. Looking specifically at 1,122 backpack-using
adolescents, 74.4% were classified as having back or neck pain. When compared to
non- or low use backpackers, there was nearly a two times greater likelihood of
having back/neck pain! Also, females and those with a large body mass index
(overweight) were also significantly associated with back/neck pain. Lastly,
they found when compared to adolescents with no back/neck pain, those with pain
carried significantly heavier backpacks.
Another common cause of neck pain in adolescents is a condition called
torticollis or, “wry neck.” This is basically a muscle spasm of certain neck
muscles that rotate and extend the head from the neutral / normal position,
often described as being “stuck” in this position. Though there are several
types of torticollis, it can be triggered by almost anything including a change
in weather, sleeping in a draft, following an infection like a cold or flu,
maintaining a faulty prolonged posture, certain types of medications, and many
others. Some studies describe torticollis as usually improving within one to
four weeks, but in the hands of a chiropractor, it usually takes two to three
days for the acute pain to subside and one week to completely finish the job! Of
course, this varies depending on the case. Infants can be born with “congenital
torticollis,” which occurs in 0.3 to 2.0% of newborns. Here too, chiropractic is
VERY effective.
We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision
and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. 
If you, a friend, or family member requires care for neck pain, we would be
honored to render our services.  Visit http://www.olsonchiropracticenter.com for more
information.