I'm Too Young to Feel Like This!
I'm Too Young to Feel Like This!by Dr. Jeffrey Henry
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The same people who are into blogs, ipods and youtube are the same people who often forego medical care (like dental checkups or preventative chiropractic care). Why?
“Because I’m healthy. I feel good. Sometimes I get banged up, but I bounce back quick.”
My experience is that young adults seek care when something gets in the way of their active lifestyle, like skiing, snowboarding or whatever is their passion. Often, the problem appears to be simply an isolated episode, like an injury from athletics, “sleeping wrong” or moving the wrong way in the normal course of their day.
However, the episode is repeated and the symptoms return. Each time the episode is repeated, the symptoms are slower to go away. Finally, the symptoms don’t go away and the young adult is feeling old because they can no longer live the lifestyle they love. Some people mistake that for “normal”. It is not.
Just like taking care of your car, preventative care is necessary. Just because the pain has gone away does not mean that the underlying problem has gone away. Young, healthy adults can recover quickly, but this can mask an episodic problem that is becoming a chronic, life-long problem.
Understand that just like taking care of your car, preventative care is necessary. People often think that if the pain has gone away, the problem has gone away. This is often a dangerous assumption.
What about the cost? Young healthy people often respond to chiropractic care very, very quickly. Mom and dad might take a number of months, but young people heal much more quickly. The bottom line? It costs you much less to treat today’s problems and prevent future problems.
What about the time? It can take only 20 to 45 minutes during your first visit to examine you and make sure we have a good, accurate diagnosis. Once we know what needs to be done to help you, it doesn’t take long to provide care. Most young people are in and out of my office in five to ten minutes. Fitting preventative care in between classes, jobs, sports and the rest of your busy lifestyle is remarkably easy to do. My clinic specifically makes convenient hours before and after school or work available for people with part-time jobs, after school activities and busy schedules. Just as important, we can also fit you in to our very flexible schedule when your schedule changes.
I’m too young for this! A vast number of professional athletes incorporate chiropractic care to improve and maintain their performance… and their jobs! Chiropractic care is not just for old people. Personally, I treat newborn babies to seasoned citizens. I also like to teach my young patients what they can do on their own to prevent problems from becoming worse, which also prevents the need for more intensive care in the future.
Preventative care allows you to be younger longer. Youth is a wonderful thing. You don’t want to lose it prematurely.
Looks are involved, too! Another aspect of treating young people is preventing potentially disfiguring conditions. Females are most likely to have scoliosis and kyphosis, or an abnormal sideways curve and “hunchback” appearance to the spine. It can make ribs or shoulder blades stick out unnaturally and can become very disfiguring. What a shame to not wear a bathing suit and be self-conscious about something that can be treated! I have scoliosis, too, and have dedicated myself to researching and treating people with scoliosis. We get good results!
Females in the 14 to 18 year old demographic are particularly good at hiding the spine curvature. They wear baggy clothes, wear a t-shirt over their bathing suit, or otherwise hide their body from their parents and friends. Often when they can confide in a health care professional and learn that the condition is real and treatable, these young women find a huge weight has been lifted from their shoulders.
“Is this what leads to the hunchback that my grandma has?”
This condition is often known as hyperkyphosis, which is treatable and preventable especially if caught early. If you have a family history or are simply worried about these types of conditions, it is worth your time to seek preventative treatment now.
Now what? If you’re already pain free, great. Just like the best time to get your eyes examined is when you can still see, the best time to get your spine checked is when it is pain-free. If and when you have an acute episode (like an athletic injury, a headache, or soreness), pay attention. If you ignore it, and allow it to become chronic, the pain you will have in the future will make today’s pain seem like the good old days.
Take advantage of our coupon to really learn what is going on with your body. This is something you need to make a priority. Just like taking care of anything else you value (like keeping your snowboard tuned up). It’s not just about avoiding pain; it’s about feeling great and physically doing your very best.
Take care of yourself today for a healthier tomorrow!
From the author:
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Dr. Jeffrey Henry
Alpine Chiropractic Clinic
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