Man-up or Shake it Off?

WRITTEN BY ALI SCHWEITZER

As a chiropractor I get asked two questions all the time.

1. Oh, you’re a chiropractor…my neck/back hurts can you crack me here, right now?

2. Is it hard for you to see people’s poor posture or hear them complain about pain and not say anything to them about chiropractic care?

My answers to these questions…

1. I have a beautiful office space, here’s my card; I’d love to help during my office hours.

2. This one is a little more complicated…because when I first started practicing 14 years ago, it was hard not to say things to people when it was obvious to me that they needed chiropractic care. However, as the years have passed, I realize people don’t always want to hear my advice; and I like to avoid hearing question number one, so I usually hold my tongue.

But I’m not perfect and I sometimes do have a hard time keeping my thoughts about chiropractic care to myself, especially when I hear parents brush off their kid’s complaints of pain.

You may be thinking, oh she’s a helicopter mom, and that’s not what I’m talking about at all. If my kids skin their knees or fall while at the playground, I don’t rush to their side and think the world is ending. What I’m talking about is when a kid tells their parents that they have neck pain, that their back hurts or that they have been having headaches. I’ve often encountered these conversations at sport practices or events, or even in my office. A parent will say things like, “You’re too young to have back pain,” or, “It’s because you just finished practice, it will go away.” This is when I usually can’t help but say something, because the truth is our kids are not too young to have pain, and if we keep dismissing the fact that they have pain, this pain can turn into a bigger problem.

Kids are resilient. They are more flexible, they bounce back quicker than we do as adults, but they can still get injured, and if we tell them to just shake it off or man-up, they start to feel like maybe their pain isn’t a big deal and instead of addressing the problem they push through and cause more damage. Our bodies are designed to withstand a lot, and our kids, as active as they are, usually know what it feels like to feel great, so when they complain of something hurting, we should listen.

One of my favorite things that chiropractic care has done for my kids is allow them to be totally aware of their bodies. They know how their bodies feel when they are functioning 100% and let me know immediately when something feels off. Most of my adult patients aren’t that aware and walk through life feeling “fine.” Both my kids are active in sports and will always let me know if they need to be adjusted. This can be something as minor as my son’s right arm moving less easily as the left arm when he is swimming the backstroke, or as big as my daughter’s neck hurting because she landed on her head at gymnastics trying to do a handstand. But whatever it is I always acknowledge their discomfort and we address it accordingly. Now, does this mean I adjust them every time they complain about something? Absolutely not, but acknowledging their complaints lets them know I heard them and if the pain becomes worse, we will look at it more closely. In my house, and what I tell parents in my office, is to give your child 24-48 hours after an injury or a complaint of something hurting. Acknowledge the complaint and say, "OK, we’ll keep an eye on it and if it’s still bothering you, we can get it checked out." This way they can see if their body can heal itself or if there is a bigger problem. Kids today are starting sports and doing more physical activities at younger ages and if we keep ignoring their complaints, we will have our middle school and high school kids sitting on the bench or sidelines because they can’t perform due to major injuries. It breaks my heart when I have teenagers come into my office complaining of pain that they’ve had for months to years and we are now at a spot where they may have to take some time off from what they love.

So, parents, no matter what age your kids are…a screaming baby, a toddler with an ouchie or an older kid saying they have pain, don’t just tell them to walk it off or dismiss what they are trying to tell you. Realize that they may really be uncomfortable and if the discomfort continues, get them into their primary care, PT or chiropractor before the small discomfort becomes something bigger.

Dr. Ali Schweitzer is the owner and a chiropractor at Active Family Chiropractic & Wellness. She specializes in pediatric care and helps kids of all ages.