By Dr. Michelle Irwin

Last week I brought up that we have been seeing a postural shift in younger ages that is leading to earlier onsets of degeneration.

This is a huge problem!

As we are developing and growing there are certain stages that we need to go through in order to have the proper curves in our spine for upright walking on 2 legs. The first one is that we need to crawl for a few months before we start walking.

I know everyone wants to say their baby was so advanced that they started walking before they were 9 months old, but the truth is, when this happens, the child is not going to have the best balance, hand-eye coordination, or even the proper low back curve from the start.

Crawling is very important for how we function as adults. So, if your little one was a late walker don’t worry too much about it, they may just be using their innate intelligence to prepare their body for a long and healthy pain-free life.

Then once we are up and moving on our own two feet we need to keep moving, whether we fall or not, it is best to be active and not be looking down so much at screens all the time.

When we are up and moving, we are developing our neck and mid-back curves which complete the proper spinal shape that allows for minimal tension on the spinal cord and proper nerve conduction to happen, leading to the healthy function of all organ systems.

Now that we have done the work of building a proper foundation as a kid through active play time, we just need to remember to maintain it as adults by finding the new playtime activities that get us up and away from the computer and desk during the week as well.

All of this sounds simple, right?

But the truth is, as we have become more technologically advanced as a society, the younger generations have become less active. This is because their playtime has moved from running around the playground to running around the virtual worlds of video games or sitting all day doing schoolwork and not having as much play time or gym time as we did when we were growing up.

With these societal changes, it is up to us to remind ourselves that kids should be moving and when they are on their devices that they need to maintain proper ergonomics just like we do as adults.

Just because a kid can be in an awkward position for a long time without complaining about pain doesn’t mean they should. Those positions today can lead to chronic pain in 5-10 years.

On that note, degeneration of the spine takes 15-20 years to start showing bone spur development. We have been seeing young adults in their 20s and 30s with phase 2 degeneration with bone spurring. That means that the degenerative process began before they hit puberty and was never addressed until they were adults and made the decision to seek help.

Don’t let this be your family. Get the whole crew checked out and make it a regular occurrence so everyone in the family can live their best life from the start.

Chiropractic care focuses on healing the body naturally, holistically, and without the use of medication from the inside out. If you need help getting out of pain, schedule an appointment today!