Younger spines are more resilient to the stresses of life than fully formed, adult spines

Besides the fact that children are generally more active than adults, their spine are also more flexible and resilient to injury. With more activity comes a greater chance of injury, so we do expect to see more sports-related dysfunction in younger spines. But if your young one is complaining of back pain that is unrelated to sports and is bordering on chronic, it’s definitely time to sit up and take note. 

What causes back pain in youth?

The most common serious sports injuries include:

• Spondylolysis and Spondyloisthesis
• Other disc injuries
• Vertebral fractures

But then there is the more worrying factors like cancer, tumors and infections. Infection of the spine, known as discitis, is a serious condition that requires a careful diagnosis and regular treatment. Tumors are much rarer, but they still do occur. The point of this post is to convince you that no matter what the cause, if your child is complaining of back pain, you must listen and do something about it. 

Treating children with back pain in Dunedin

Even if the problem is something low-grade, you still don’t want to just ignore it. Young spines are growing all the time, and injuries and infections can interfere with good, healthy growth. At our office in Dunedin, we provide the careful diagnosis you and your child need to discern exactly what is going on and how to fix it. As an office of chiropractic, we provide children and teens with the adjustments they need to maintain spinal alignment and reduce pressure. This can help in the maintenance of a high level of health while playing sports, or help to mitigate the severity of injuries at a young age. We work with your child’s primary care provider to ensure they are getting the comprehensive care they need. Don’t let your child’s back pain linger! Check in with us today.