Page 110 - April Issue
P. 110
in focus: toddler | health & safety
mother, baby & child April 2011 indication for chiropractic Older children added to the carrying of heavy
treatment is KISS syndrome backpacks may be affecting the
which means Kinematic As babies grow to infants and long term posture and health of
Imbalances of the Suboccipital children and teens, mothers our children, asserts Dr Leader.
Spine,” she says and this is often have worries about their “Flat feet, partially arising from
essentially a collection of children, she says as their spines inactivity and excess weight are
subtle symptoms, indicating are as important as their teeth also extremely common here in
that a baby has problems in and should be checked regularly Dubai,” she says and prevention
the upper neck, which could as many of their patients do. is better than cure but once
later result in developmental “Sitting up alone, crawling flat feet are diagnosed, custom
and biomechanical problems. and walking are important made orthotics can help prevent
Yet another indication is milestones at which your knock on effects on the rest
constipation and other digestive chiropractor will want to check of the body. “At Chiropractic
problems such as regurgitating your child’s spine,” she notes, Dubai we are currently
food, or difficulty sucking. adding, “Some of the problems conducting a SOS (save our
“A wry neck, where the baby we treat gently and successfully spines) campaign and we have
has his or her neck turned or with chiropractic at our clinic so far checked the spines and
leaning to one side and also include ADHD, ear infections, scanned the feet of over 1000
a poor sleeping pattern or frequent colds, bed wetting, school children,” Dr Leaders
unsettled sleep are also reasons headaches, postural problems, explains, pointing out, “We
why mothers bring their babies flat feet, wry neck, back pain, check for scoliosis and other
to visit us,” she says. and scoliosis checks.” spinal problems and scan the
feet with our computerised
Birth SOS Campaign system.” The results are quite
alarming. The younger age
Even though a baby may have It is worrying that “bad habits” group, she notes, has fewer
perfectly working spinal joints such as texting, playing hand problems with their posture and
and alignment, being in the held games and sitting at feet than those over 11 years
womb, Dr Leader suggests computers, especially laptops old. “We begin to see forward
that in the final months he head posture and rounded
or she may have been in a shoulders in a few eight year
restricted position, especially olds but in the secondary age
if not perfectly positioned. “If group the numbers are huge,”
the birth was not ideal, such she concludes.
as too fast or too slow labour,
being stuck in the birth canal, CREDITS:
C-section birth, or suction/ Dr Pamela Leader, Managing Director,
forceps were needed, the forces Chiropractor
on the baby’s neck or spine Chiropractic Dubai
may have been excessive,” she 04-3481166, 04-3486900
says and for these reasons, the
delicate spinal joints could be
imbalanced or fixed in a less
than ideal position. The only
way the baby has of telling
us that something is wrong,
explains Dr Leader, is to cry
or not settle well to sleep. “In
fact most of our patients who
know about chiropractic, bring
their newborns to us for a check
up as soon as they are able to
come,” she says.
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