Hello.......I hope that everyone is having a good day. My 15 year old daughter has been having back pain (middle of back below the shoulder blades and around the bottom of the "rib cage area" in the back) on and off for over 5 months now. It is not severe pain I don't think, but probably about a 3 or so on a scale of 1 - 10 most of the time. We saw the Nurse Practioner in her regular doctor's office, and she did not see anything wrong. She had us go get an X-Ray, but it did not show anything abnormal at all. She is currently active and has started working out for Track at school........doing various exercises and all with that. My daughter wants to go see a Chiropractor, but I am just not sure if it is a good idea since I don't know exactly what is wrong. Could it be growing pains? She is already about 5'9"......a bit poor posture that I constantly remind her to correct haha......but not too bad. Any of you mommas out there with Teen girls (or anyone who might be able to advise) experienced this? Would a Chiropractor be a good next step, or is there something else we should try first? Any info you could throw out there would be greatly appreciated!! Hope you all have a great day!! Thanks!
After the terrible experiences I had with a chiropractor, Iwould never let on e touch my kid.
My daughter is tall, and had knee and elbow pain constantly. The otrtho siad it was because with tall kids, especially girls, the joints tend to be very loose at the growth plates, and that she would grow out of it. She did.
I started having chronic back pain when I was 18. Although it took awhile to get to the bottom of it, in the end it was a physical therapist that gave me the lifelong tools to deal with it. They show stretches, exercises and just basic lifestyle tips that help one to manage this without regular treatment from chiropractors (who I think are great to use in a pinch). That being said, if you can get a recommendation for an excellent chiropractor, one that is known for also showing stretches and giving advise on preventing chronic problems, then go for it. I've had luck finding chiropractors (and PTs) at sports medicine practices.
Personally I would insist on seeing the pediatrician in the office, especially since the NP couldn't figure out what the problem was and nothing was indicated in the X-ray. I would want to hear it straight from the pediatrician. If he can't figure it out I would see a pediatric orthopedist next.
get her to the chiro, it helped me a LOT but i was the stupid freshman that carried 60lbs of books on my back daily (thank you college prep classes) and messed my back up plus from working at my grandparents store lifting multipul cases of beer and pop daily didnt help i still have back problems and cant wait until i can get insurance and start to go to the chiro again
Yoga would be great for her. Also, I'd take her to a running specialty store and see if she's in proper shoes. A chiro could help, I used to go to one as a teen but prevention is key.
Yes!!!!
I've had such great luck with chiropractic care I've even taken my kids. And I have slipped/herniated discs in my neck.
My daughter threw her hip out once and urgent care doc was hopeless (since nothing showed up on tests), but after one adjustment with the chiropractor she was 100% better.
My son hurt his neck on an amusement park ride (muscle strain) again all his pediatrian could suggest was otc meds and he should be better in a week. One adjustment from the chiropractor and he felt better and stopped complaining of the pain.
Not that everyone gets instant relief w/ more serious injuries but I'd rather try adjustments over pain relievers or surgery.
I would suggest a chiro with a physical therapy approach, and get a referral if you can. My current chiro is awesome, he is a former college football player and that is how he became interested in sports medicine. His goal is for you to stop coming to him by getting well, and he will teach targeted excercises and stretches to help problem areas.
I've had good luck with all my chiropractors, but if a chiro ever tries to sell you expensive supplements right off the bat (without testing for vitamin deficiencies) it is probably a sign to move on.
Absolutely, a chiropractor could help. Why have her continue to grow up with pain? That is what happened to me. My parents did not know to take me to a chiro, so I just had pain and the problems got worse until as an adult I took myself. My mother said later she wished she had known what to do for it. She did what she knew and took me to the family doctor who did indeed say it was growing pains.
Your daughter is right.
Just a thought....I was having back pain for months and my doctor could not figure out what the heck was wrong with me. I went to a chiropractor too, and it was not helping. My doctor finally sent me for a CT scan, and it was my gallbladder! My only symptom was back pain. I had gall stones and my gallbladder was a mess. I ended up having surgery 3 weeks ago. Just thought I would tell you my 'back pain' story. It might not be her gallbladder, but you never know. Good luck & I hope she gets some relief!
I would certainly try. Choose carefully who you see. As with everything, there are alot of quacks but there are great ones out there. Good luck!
Chiropractors take 4 years of neurology and very often figure out what's going on with the anatomy and it's physiology extremely fast.
My dad has been adjusted since he was 2 years old. I've been adjusted since I was 2 days old, as I was a vaginal breech birth....and been adjusted through my athletic teen years, 4 pregnancies and during 3 of the labors. My kids have all been adjusted from birth, ages 9, 5, 3, and 9 months. We go when we feel like it. Our DC doesn't put us on a program. I go more often than the kids and hubby does, but our DC has figured out and fixed so many things that have left our MDs scratching their heads.
NOT ALL CHIROS ARE CREATED EQUAL, so find one you (she) likes. I've been to some great DCs and some not so great DCs, so maybe check out: http://icpa4kids.org/Find-a-Chiropractor/ to start and see how it goes. If she's not getting results within the first few adjustments, maybe find another one?
Our neighbor's daughter goes to our DC probably every 4-6 weeks, but she runs track and cross country, so she also goes in immediately after injuries and gets her ankles, knees, feet, back, etc adjusted. She's been consistently in 1-2nd place since she's been getting adjusted.
Also a good calmag is important for the muscles, so that they stop pulling the bones out of place, which are not far enough to be seen as a dislocation on an x-ray, but can cause some good pain. Stay away from oyster shell calcium and calcium carbonate. Calcium is best taken at night, as it is a natural nervous system/muscle relaxant.
Chiropractic can be great for relieving back pain, but you must make sure he/she is a good one.
You might also get a foam roller from Walmart and try that. Here is a video of how to use one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxQkVD0UQNg&feature=re...
Aaahhh, those teenage girls! My #3 daughter had the same sort of low-grade, nagging issue. Good exercise and conditioning helped but so did a couple of non-medical fixes. We turned her mattress, bought her a new pillow and moved off her bed some of the stuff that "lived" there -- stuffed animals, cutesy pillows and the rotating number of sweatshirts & t-shirts. She found that a well made bed with room for her to move helped her sleep more comfortably and reduced the achiness..
Also, is she on the computer a great deal? Does she slouch over the keyboard while at a desk or in a chair while watching TV? You mention posture and it can be a very big deal. As much as she wants the fix to involve no effort of change on her part (at least, if she's anything like my girls!), sometimes these things ARE in our control and require a change in our behavior and habit to remedy.
And PT and the foam roller are a big, big help.
Sometimes, the fix isn't in a doctor's care but in our own care and attentiveness. Good luck!
I am not a chiropractor person and think especially with kids they need to be checked by an MD or someone on that level. I wonder if your daughter needs therapy and to just losen up from the track, etc. I would suggest to your doctor that maybe a P.T. appointment would be a good thing to try at least.
If you have a spine you need a spine doctor (chiropractor), just like muscles need exercise and teeth need a dentist. Your spinal cord houses your nervous system which controls all bodily function. You definitely don't want to mess with that! Pain is the first symptom that there is a subluxation of the vertebrae. Absolutely take her to one, the earlier these things get fixed, the less chance it has to stay that way and cause permanent nerve damage. Have her ice after adjustments and when it flares up, and massage therapy also helps keep the muscles flexible so they don't hold the spine in its improper position, prolonging the time needed to correct the misalignment. My kids have been adjusted since birth, as have I.
I took mine to a Chiro after she begged and she hated it and wouldn't go back. I now take her for a half hour massage every month or so, about the same money, and it seems to help. I also used to go to th Chiro ever. Three weeks or so for neck pain after an accident and now go for a massage every month or two and helps so much more with the pain.
Hi! My daughter is a dancer. She's had lots of back pain culminating in a trip to the ER in an ambulance when she lept and came down in a heap and couldn't move. Very scary. We'd done x-rays, pediatricians, pediatric sports doctors, orthopedists, everyone said it was nothing, we went to a physical therapist that specializes in dancers after the ER episode. Absolutely the best thing we ever did. She (the PT) is out of network so we have to pay but my daughter is so much better I would gladly pay double and I hate myself for not doing this sooner. The PT is teaching her how to stand and move and giving her exercises that she can feel strengthening her back and hips. Good luck!
