From Dr. Waldron: Teens and chiropractic care
The fast-paced, demanding lifestyle of teens can commonly lead to a variety of health complaints that I see in my office, including headaches and back pain.
It’s no surprise that teens are physically and emotionally stressed. Adolescents have many demands on their time, balancing school work, athletics, music or drama pursuits, chores around the house, maybe even a part- or full-time job. Not to mention the ever-present need to spend as much time as possible with their friends.
They often don’t get enough sleep and they don’t always eat very well either.
This ongoing stress can be detrimental to a teen’s health; leading to obesity, depression and — as they grow into adulthood — heart disease.
Here are some tips to help your teen manage stress:
– Relax and calm the body – taking slow and steady breaths
– Get organized – eliminate over scheduling and conflicts
– Get more sleep – increasing energy and concentration levels
– Exercise – improve physical health and raise overall spirits
Headache Prevention
As society continues its love affair with high-tech gadgets, the extensive amount of “screen” time people spend on their computers and televisions can lead to physical aches – particularly back pain, neck pain and headaches. Recent studies have found the high amounts of time spent on screen-based activities can be a contributing factor in physical health problems.
Inactivity and sitting for lengthy periods of time puts nearly twice the amount of stress on the spine as standing. This can tighten and shorten muscles which may lead to injury.
I advise teens to take three to five minute breaks during extended periods of “screen” time. As always, proper posture will also help reduce the chance of injury – especially when sitting for long periods.
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