AMI Chiropractic Clinic Blog

DEVELOPING A HEALTHY CHILD Bottom Line: “It takes a village to raise a child.” You’ve probably heard that quote in the past, and there is a lot of truth behind it. During childhood and adolescence, our bodies and minds grow at an unprecedented rate and set the foundation for the rest of our life. Our development is forged through the challenges and new experiences we encounter growing up. Top researchers have discovered that our experiences around food, movement and exercise play a massive role in our future health and even our susceptibility to disease processes as we age! Why it Matters: Developing a healthy child isn’t easy. The ease of modern living includes everything from food delivery to instant downloads of the latest video games. Yet, if you’re like me, there still never seems to be enough time!   It can be challenging to encourage healthy habits for ourselves and our kids. However, a little bit of effort today can pay huge dividends down the road. T

GROWING UP WITH GOOD POSTURE Bottom Line: “Sit up straight!” We’ve all heard it before, but many people aren’t aware that poor posture as a child can create health challenges later in life. Rounded shoulders, swayback and a hunched upper back are all postural imbalances that place a tremendous amount of stress on the spine. The muscles supporting your spine consequently must work harder to support your body weight which can result in pain. These types of abnormal postures have been linked to everything from depression to decreases in energy and headaches to carpal tunnel syndrome. Why it Matters: Poor posture is usually caused by what kids aren’t doing instead of what they are doing. If your child is on their phone or playing a game on their tablet, they probably may not be moving and stretching very often. One of the most important things you can do to encourage good posture is to set a timer and have them stretch and change positions every 15 minutes. This

How Heavy Is That Backpack? Bottom Line: Even though an iPad can store an entire library worth of books, most children still attend each day carrying an oversized and overweight backpack filled with heavy textbooks. While it may not seem like a big deal, recent studies have shown that carrying the weight of a typical backpack is one of the top reasons why children suffer with back pain. A vast majority of children wear rucksacks every day that, on average, weigh 15 lbs or more. That’s a heavy bag for a small child! Over time the stress of the load can result in back pain, a rounding of the shoulders and postural changes. The spinal compression caused by a heavy school bag often has children leaning forward to compensate, which begins a vicious cycle of postural issues, compensation and pain. Here are a few key facts: Up to 30% of kids may suffer from back pain due to carrying a heavy backpack. Limiting the total weight of the backpack to less than 10% of yo