Healing birth trauma: spinal misalignment and your child.

Children and chiropractic: to me, these words go together like peanut butter and jelly. The nerve system plays a key role in the health of children, yet it is often times overlooked as the cause of health problems. Chiropractors and medical researchers have found that Birth Trauma is the first cause of nervous system interference. Nerve system interference is what some chiropractors refer to as the Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC).

HOW COULD BIRTH TRAUMA HAPPEN TO YOUR CHILD?

According to the research conducted by Dr. Jeanne Ohm, a Pediatric Chiropractor and integral member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (1), routine labor procedures such as inducing labor, pain medication, and restrictive maternal positions lead to further complications and the use of forceful pulling and operative devices such as forceps vacuum extraction, and C-sections. These procedures twist and pull the infant's delicate spinal cord and surrounding spinal bones, which may cause nerve damage, and ultimately, malfunction of organs, muscles and tissues by a process known as the Vertebral Subluxation Complex.

WHAT IS THE VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION COMPLEX?

VSC occurs when the communication link between the brain and the body has been interfered with. The brain communicates with the body by sending out nerve impulses that flow down the spinal cord and its nerve roots, and a millisecond later, these impulses travel back up again to the brain. VSC disrupts this healthy flow of information and prevents us from living at our optimum level.

There are five components to VSC. It first occurs within the joints of one or more of the 24 rings of spinal bones. According to an interview of Dr. Jan Jirot, a Medical Researcher (2), these injured joints heal incorrectly, either too loose, too tight, or misaligned. Second, Dr. Irvin Korr (3) states that the injured joints pinch or irritate the spinal nerves, interfering with the brain-body flow of impulses. Third in the VSC process, according to Dr. Kirkaldy-Willis, a Medical Researcher (4), muscles spasm or become weak causing local inflammation and/or scar tissue. The next component is spinal inflammation and the occurrence of scar tissue, which Was thoroughly studied by Dr. All Brieg (5). The fifth component is pathology, which Dr. Lee Hadley, Medical Researcher (6), explains as a slow, degenerative process that occurs within the spine. The VSC process limits range of motion, causing pain and eventually whole-body malfunction.

WHAT CAUSES VSC?

As we've discussed, childbirth can be the first cause of VSC. On February 12, 2004, the CDC announced the first rise in the U.S Infant Mortality Rate in over forty years (7), from 6.8 deaths per 1,000 births in 2001 to 7.0 in 2002. According to the New York Times article, this rate may reflect complications from high-tech and high-risk pregnancies (which also succumb to high-tech birthing methods). Those infants who survive birth trauma must be examined for VSC immediately to ensure proper growth and development.

Additional causes of VSC are major traumas such as falls or jolts, as well as minor physical traumas. (If you've ever seen a toddler at play, you know what I mean). Exposure to chemicals in our air, water and food, prescription or non-prescription drug use, and mental stressors are just a few more of the possible causes of VSC.

WHAT ABOUT COMMON CHILDHOOD AILMENTS?

Constant antibiotic use, ear tubes, hyperactivity, sniffles, headaches, learning disorders, colic, asthma ... these are just some of the common childhood problems seen in a chiropractic office. The parents are searching for relief for their children, and are amazed at the plethora of information they wish they knew before. The "normal" surgeries and drug prescriptions, which we as parents have come to accept as rites of passage, have recently been questioned by many families and wellness-care advocates. In an eighteen-year study of 4,600 cases of upper respiratory infections in a core group of one-hundred families, researchers found that when spinal motion was restricted in the upper neck area, ear infection occurred. When spinal motion was maintained or re-established, complication usually didn't develop (8).

There are numerous studies that have been done on the benefits of chiropractic for children. If you are interested in finding out more about these studies, or how chiropractic can help your child, visit www.icpa4kids.com. It takes courage to do something different than your friends, neighbors, and family members. It's time we come together and get to the cause of our children's health issues, with a non-invasive, preventative, and compassionate approach.

How to Check your Child for VSC at Home

1. Have your child stand in front of a mirror with their back to you. Have him/her close eyes and stand up straight.

2. Look at the general alignment of the spine. Is it straight, or curved to the right and left?

3. Observe the head. Is it tilted or rotated?

4. Look at the shoulders. Is one higher than the other?

5. Look at the hips. Are they level, or is one higher?

6. Gently rub the muscles on both sides of the spine. Do they feel tight or ropey?

7. Gently press on the knobs of the spine. Do any feel tender to your child?

If you have found Spinal curves, tilt or rotation of the head, shoulders, or hips, or if there are tight spinal muscles or tender/painful areas on the spine itself, your child should be further evaluated for VSC by a Family Chiropractor.

REFERENCES:

(1) Dr. Jeanne Ohm, D.C.: Research compilations may be found at www.icpa4kids.org.

(2) Dr. Jan Jirot, M.D.: Roentgen Studies of the Dynamics of the Cervical Spine. An English Translation of a Monograph Written in German. 205-258, 1969. Interviewed by D.B. Johnson, Ph.D. in April 1985.

(3) Dr. Ivan Korr, M.D.: J Am Osteopath Assoc. 1986 (Feb); 86 (2):109-114.

(4) W.H. Kirkaldy-Willis: Managing Low Back Pain. 1983 (3).

(5) Dr. Alf Brieg, M.D: Skull Traction and Cervical Cord Injury. Springer-Verlag, NY, 1989. (20, 35, 42, 46)

(6) Dr. Lee Hadley, M.D. Anatomico-Roentgenographic Studies of the Spine. Charles C. Thomas, NY 1964.

(7) Anahad O'Connor: New York Times. Feb. 12, 2004. Sec A (30) (4)

(8) Terry Rhondberg, D.C.: Chiropractic First. The Chiropractic Journal. 1996 (83).

For more children's health articles, visit newlifejournal.com

Dr. Jennifer Harris, D.C. is the founder of Isle of Sky Chiropractic in Fletcher. She specializes in Family Wellness Chiropractic, and frequently lectures about Chiropractic care to promote optimal health in our community. She can be reached at www.ioschiro.com or 828- 687-1151.