Happy Birthday!!!

Chiros (hand) + practos (practice) = Chiropractic and literally means “done by hand”.   Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by Daniel David Palmer (known as D.D. Palmer) in Davenport, Iowa.  D.D. Palmer was an interesting fellow.  He had several different careers but he was always interested in health and he was a voracious reader, especially about anything scientific.  One day while in his office, a janitor named Harvey Lillardstopped by.  Harvey told D.D. about an incident 17 years earlier.  Harvey went deaf after he felt something “give” in his upper back while working in an awkward position.  D.D. then examined him and felt what he believed to be a vertebra in the wrong position.  He performed an adjustment on Harvey and the next day, Harvey observed that his hearing had returned.  Chiropractic was born!

    Intrigued by Harvey and his hearing, D.D. used his extensive knowledge of human anatomy and physiology to hypothesize that the nerves emanating from the spine could become irritated and that irritation could result in disease or dysfunction.  How right he was!  D.D. went on to further develop the science, art, and philosophy of chiropractic and opened the first chiropractic college.

    Chiropractic has continued to grow and evolve into the healing profession it is today.  We have much to be thankful for.  To celebrate the birth of chiropractic 123 years ago, we have a special offer in our office.  Dr. Stan, Dr. Justin, and I have each set aside 10 new patient appointments through the end of September.   Starting Monday, August 20 and ending Friday, September 18, any current patients can buy a certificate for $18.95 (remember, chiropractic was founded in 1895…aren’t we clever?).  The certificate can be used by whomever you choose (family, friend, etc.) to reserve one of these 10 new patient appointment times.  A new patient appointment usually costs $205 so this is a great opportunity for someone important to you to start care.  We just ask that if you buy a certificate, please be sure your family member or friend will use the certificate and schedule an appointment because thereserved times are limited.

    Oh, and you didn’t hear this from me, but to add some fun to our celebration, I’m told that whoever sells their 10 certificates first wins a prize!!  So, buy early and buy often, especially from me. 😀

Dr Paul Aalderink

Is your child's backpack a problem?

     August has arrived.  That means fall is just around the corner, and with it, the start of school.  Soon, parents will be flocking to stores to buy back-to- school supplies.  Notebooks, binders, calculators, iPads, etc., will all be thrown into backpacks.  Backpacks are certainly a convenient way to lug around all of the necessary gear for school, but they can present a health risk if several precautions are not followed.

     The first precaution to follow is to make sure the backpack isn’t too heavy.  It is recommended that the backpack not exceed 15% of the student’s body weight.  For a 50 pound child, that’s only 7-8 pounds.  It doesn’t take much to exceed that recommendation.   Even the 22.5 pounds that a 150 pound high school student could be allowed to carry can quickly be exceeded.  If the backpack is too heavy, remove the heavier items, and have your students carry them the old-fashioned way, in their arms.  Going over the weight recommendation tends to result in students hunching over and altering their posture and gait, which can lead to back and neck pain.

     To help with lugging all of the weight around, look for a backpack that has padding on the shoulder straps and on the back.  Please encourage your children to wear both straps to distribute the weight more evenly.  Also, I know it’s not a great fashion statement, but if you can convince your children to use the waist strap too, that is beneficial as well.  I understand that it is unlikely they will want to comply with that request, so do your best to help your children keep the pack light and use both straps.

     If your child complains of back pain, that is definitely a warning sign that something is wrong.  Often times we tend to ignore or dismiss such complaints because we think the pain will eventually go away and everything will be fine. The pain may go away, but that doesn’t mean that everything is fine.  Pain of any duration is a signal that something isn’t right.  If not addressed, postural changes may occur and ultimately, premature degeneration of the spine may result as well.  So please, if you children are complaining of neck or back pain, check their backpacks.  Then call us, and we will check their backs!