5 Signs of a Subluxation Every Parent Can Look For
As a parent, we all want our children to reach their full potential. Nurturing this potential starts with their health and well-being. A Pediatric Chiropractor has advanced education and passion to help your child maximize this through natural and holistic means.
The primary focus of Pediatric Chiropractic care is based on correcting a spine-nerve condition called a subluxation. A subluxation strains the spine and stresses the nerves, injuring development and health.
Not sure if your child needs to see a Pediatric Chiropractor? As a parent, there are a few signs you can look for that can indicate if your child has a subluxation. If one or more of these signs are found on your child, please consult a Pediatric Chiropractor for more information and care plan options.
The best way to find a Pediatric Chiropractor near you, is to check out the website icpa4kids.com. There you will find a tab labeled “Find an ICPA chiropractor near you.” The signs of a subluxation are not limited to this group, but do increase the probability if present.
1. Pull-to-Sit Test.
This test, in particular, is very important to perform on infants. The Pull-to-Sit test is done on infants between 4 to 10 months of age. It can test for overall neurological integrity and neck muscle strength.
Recently, it has been shown to be a precursor sign for many different types of neurological delays. Neurological delay is a symptom involved in conditions such as Autism, ADHD, Retained Primitive Reflexes and Motor Delay Syndrome.
To perform the test, have the infant lie on their back. Grasping their arms firmly, carefully pull the child up from the lying position into a seated position. Normally when doing the maneuver, the infant will engage the neck muscles to control the head and bring it up in line with the torso.
When performing the test, if the child’s head lags behind, this shows neurological delay. A “head lag” will look like the baby is looking up at the ceiling when pulling him/her up into the seated position. Typically infants achieve this type of posture control by the time they are four months old.
If there is “head lag” there is some type of error occurring between the brain and spine. A subluxation of the spine can create a misstep between the brain and spine, only making the neurological delay worse.
2. Head tilt.
Does it always look like your child is perplexed or in deep thought? A head tilt presents with an ear, eye, jaw or all three higher on one side to the other. You will see this more often in babies less than a year old but can be found in children of all ages.
The reason you find it frequently in infants is that the righting reflex isn’t fully developed yet. Sensors in the neck muscles talk with the brain to notify it of the body’s position to the environment. When there is healthy communication, the head will be level with the ground no matter the slope.
A subluxation will create a miscommunication between the neck muscles and the brain making the head unlevel. This can have negative effects on how the brain develops and functions with the rest of the body.
3. One-shoulder higher than the other.
Similar to the head tilt, if the shoulders show unevenness, this could indicate a subluxation. A high or low shoulder is usually seen in children two years of age and older. After children begin to walk and use their spines more fully, the effects of a subluxation will start to show up in other areas of their body.
If the righting reflex is more mature, the spine and surrounding muscles will start to offset for the subluxation. By shortening and/or lengthening muscles on each side of the spine, the head can remain level. This compensation though creates an unsteady spine. Over time, these imbalances create chronic stress and strain on the body. One effect of this can be scoliosis.
4. Tight muscles on one side of the spine with muscles more relaxed on the other.
Our brains and bodies function in left and right sections. For the most part, we have “two” of each body part: two eyes, two lungs, two kidneys, two arms with two sets of muscles, and so on. Even organs that are singular have two sections (such as the heart) or have a similar-sized organ (such as the stomach and the liver) on the other side.
Our spine is considered the dividing line between the right and left sections of the body. Those “bumps” that run down the middle of our backs are the line for this division and are called spinous processes. Placing your hands directly to the right and left of those “bumps”, the muscles should have the same tone on each side.
The tone, or balance of the muscles, should have the same “feel” on each side. If a subluxation is present, the misaligned bones create misaligned muscle tone. This can result in uneven muscles which effects the spine’s range of motion and normal function.
5. Restricted or painful spine movements.
Abnormal muscle contractions bring about variations in spine movements. Our spine structure, for the most part, is symmetrical, or equal on both sides. Muscles that attach to the spinal bones on each side help provide equal movements in all directions.
With a subluxation present, the bones, muscles and ligaments are not in uniform movement. This will create a restriction in one movement verse another. Pain can also be felt with this restriction because the subluxated spine can irritate the surrounding tissues, creating inflammation.
For example, if you have your child turn their head to the left and right, there should be an equal amount of movement to each side. If there is a decrease in motion when the child moves their head to the left or right, a subluxation could be indicated. Furthermore, if pain occurs with a movement, this is a sign that the body is trying to protect itself from further irritation with the restricted movement. Touching areas of the spine and surrounding muscles can also bring on the feeling of tenderness and discomfort.
A healthy Nerve system and spine are vital for a well-adjusted child. Pediatric Chiropractic wants to help cultivate this and let it thrive.
- Dr. Jarek Esarco
Related Blogs:
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Top 3 Reasons Why Parents Take Their Children to a Family Wellness Chiropractor
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Scoliosis and Upper Cervical Chiropractic