Back pain is a condition that quite a few adults suffer from. However, it is rarer and alarming when a child starts complaining about back pain. Yet, in recent years, there have been a growing number of kids who admit to suffering from some type of back ailment. Luckily, these conditions are not all serious.
Let’s take a look at some possible causes for back pain in children:
Muscular Back Pain
Muscular back pain is the most common type of child and toddler back pain. As a matter of fact, roughly 66 percent of all child back pain cases are diagnosed as a muscular back issue.
Some examples of the most common muscular back pains include:
- Muscle strains or tears
- Overuse injuries
- Ligament strains or tears
- Unconditioned back muscles
- Postural issues
Most muscle back pain is completely treatable with rest, rehab, and a temporary reduction of potentially aggravating motions. The most common types of muscle rehab include chiropractic therapy, strengthening exercises, stretching regimens, yoga, and therapeutic massage.
Spinal Stress Fractures
Spinal stress fractures are surprisingly common in growing adolescents. Many times, a child won’t even know when the initial fracture occurred since signs of pain or discomfort are not always immediately apparent. However, it is common for signs of a spinal stress fracture to show up over time.
Spondylolysis is the most commonly diagnosed type of spinal stress fracture in kids. Spondylolysis occurs when the bone in the back of a vertebra becomes cracked. This condition primarily occurs due to the amount of tumbling and twisting that occurs during rough play.
Spondylolysis can also occur as a result of certain physical activities that require repetitive twisting and bending of the back such as diving and gymnastics. Try not to be too alarmed if you find out that your child is suffering from spondylolysis. While this type of injury rarely heals fully, if treated properly, spondylolysis should not cause more serious back issues in the future.
Disc Herniations
This type of injury is far more common in adults than it is with children, but it still can happen. A disc herniation occurs when the soft gel-like disc between two vertebrae bones tears and ruptures. The inner material can then spill out and aggravate the surrounding nerves. In adults, disc herniations usually occur because of the stiffening of the disc material due to age.
However, in children, disc herniations usually occur as the result of a traumatic injury or abnormalities in the disc structure. Luckily, most disc herniations can be treated without invasive surgery. If the injury is too severe, surgery might be necessary to relieve pressure on the surrounding nerves.
Alignment Issues
Any type of back alignment issues can cause tremendous pain over time. The most common types of back alignment conditions found in kids are Scheuermann’s kyphosis and scoliosis. Both of these conditions are characterized by the abnormal bending of the spine. Scheuermann’s kyphosis creates bending of the spine that is visible from the side. In contrast, scoliosis causes bending of the spine that is visible from the back.
Surgery may be needed if these conditions are extremely severe. However, most of the time they can be successfully treated with regular chiropractic therapy and braces.
Are any of your children complaining of back pain? Then you should seek the proper therapy immediately. If you are living in the Scottsdale or Phoenix Metro area, your best bet is to make an appointment with us at Fix24 Joint Biomechanics. Our staff is completely adept at treating any type of back ailments in kids and adults. Feel free to give us a call today, and set up an appointment!
