Is My Child Or Adolescent’s Back Pain Serious And What Do I Need To Do About It?

Back pain in children and teenagers in Knoxville is not uncommon especially if they are active in sports and other activities.  However, if your child is experiencing prolonged, severe back pain that is not alleviated with rest, there may be underlying issues that need to be addressed.

Common causes for back pain in children and adolescents in Knoxville TN include:

1. Overuse and muscle strains: Is your child participating in sports or a weight training program?  Their bodies may be experiencing pain as they are adapting to muscle growth and minor strains.  This condition can benefit from rest and chiropractic care to ensure normal musculoskeletal function
2. Stress fractures/Spondylolysis/Spondylolisthesis: Does your child have severe, constant back pain but has not experienced a specific severe injury?  These injuries occur commonly with repetitive stress from activities such as gymnastics, weight lifting, and other intensive activities.  If they have not experienced pain relief from treatment such as NSAIDs or physical therapy, specific imaging may be indicated to reveal further injury.  Early detection of this injury can prevent further damage of the lumbar spine that would lead to prolonged low back pain.
3. Scoliosis:  Do you notice abnormal posture or uneven shoulders with your child?  Scoliosis is a condition where a spinal curvature develops in the thoracic and lumbar spine during adolescence most commonly in females for no known reason.  Scoliosis can cause back pain as it progresses.  Cobb’s angle is a commonly used measurement of the scoliosis curve in which 10-20 degrees warrants periodical monitoring of progression along with treatment;  20-30 degrees of curve may require bracing along with other rehabilitation to limit progression; 30 degrees and over may indicate surgical intervention to prevent prolonged damage to the spine and surrounding tissues.  According to Theroux et al in a 2017 study spinal manipulative therapy may be effective in reducing curve progression in adolescents suffering in back pain from scoliosis.
4. Heavy backpacks: Is your child carrying around a heavy backpack every day and suffering with back pain?  Fortunately, as we move towards digital media there is less of a need for kids to carry a heavy backpack every day, but this is the first thing to check for if they are complaining of back pain at school daily.  Heavy backpacks may cause spinal problems such as muscle strain and even spinal stress fractures that can cause long term back pain.  If back pain persists after reducing the weight of the backpack further testing may be warranted.

Back pain in children and adolescents can be worrying but these problems can often be diagnosed and managed with a chiropractor.  Spinal manipulation and specific exercises get great results with these common conditions leading to back pain in children.

For more information contact our office at Rocky Top Chiropractic Today at rockytopchiro@gmail.com or 865 444 5994.