Here are 5 reasons to get your young athlete checked by a Chiropractor:

1. Dysfunctional movement patterns – When you have an injured joint or muscle your body compensates for that injury.  An awkward movement pattern leads to wear and tear on the body that can lead to early onset arthritis.

2. Pain is the last symptom to show up and the first thing to go away.  This means that the dysfunction is there before the pain shows up, unless it was a traumatic injury, and they can be pain free even if the dysfunction is still there.

3. Kids don’t always complain.  It can be confusing to a child who doesn’t understand what is going on.  They may think it is more important to play than to possibly be taken out of the activity.  Having pain does not mean they have to ride the bench.

4. It keeps them at optimum performance.  Take a javelin thrower.  If he or she has an irregular movement pattern in their elbow then they won’t be able to throw as far.

5. Increasing frequency and intensity to become more competitive.  Help your child transition from rec league to a more competitive league.

Remember your young athlete is NOT a mini adult athlete! Girls grow until about age 18 and boys grow until about age 21. This means they still have a lot of cartilage and growth plates in their bones and not all their bones fused together either.  With growing concern over concussions and the long term effects of concussions it is important to have your child checked out regularly and especially during an injury.