Dr. Roundy Comes Clean…

In the last few months I’ve had several patients ask me what kind of patients I like to see.  Some have even asked what kinds of conditions I see that respond the fastest.  While this might sound like a simple question, I have to honestly say that I love seeing all kinds of patients with all kinds of complaints. 

But, to be more specific, I’d have to say that I really enjoy taking care of children.  Children are so dynamic and heal so quickly and are genuinely fun to adjust.  When entire families come in for care, the children are usually racing to get to the table to be adjusted first.  Kids are tuned into what’s good for them and they know they feel better after they get adjusted.  

Aside from parents who bring their children in for preventative care, the most common complaints that I see are headaches, ear infections and scoliosis.  Yes, children get headaches too and they respond much faster than adults.  As for ear infections, it’s very rare for a “well-adjusted” child to ever get another one.  With scoliosis (and for virtually ever other condition), the sooner a child is cared for, the better.  The sooner a scoliosis is detected and worked with, the faster the results and the lower the chances of a disfiguring life-long condition. 

Imagine if you played as hard, fell as often, wrestled as much and got in as many pillow fights!  It amazes me that children can hold a spinal adjustment in the first place with all the frequent micro-trauma they sustain on such a regular basis.  The fact is, children do hold their adjustments and they usually hold much better than adults.  Once a child has spinal stability (holds their adjustments well), I recommend that they be checked for nerve irritation on a monthly basis or sooner if problems begin or a new trauma occurs. 

In the process of passing through the birth canal, infants experience 75-pounds per square inch of pressure on their delicate skulls.  This by itself is usually not a problem, but add to it the standard obstetrical procedure of pulling and twisting on the baby's fragile, weak and undeveloped neck and you've got a subluxated (spinal nerve irritation) and injured infant.  Clearly, an infant that is in dire need of care!

Imagine being yanked out of the birth canal with forceps or being tugged out with vacuum extraction, or worse…imagine both procedures being used on the same child – this is unfortunately common occurrence.  C-sections aren’t the answer either – this is even more traumatic for both the mother and infant and currently, our national C-section rate is 25% (1 in 4 children).  

As for injuries sustained during the birth process, there are several autopsy studies on infants showing tearing of spinal nerve roots, tearing of the spinal cord’s protective covering (dura mater) and bleeding around the brain stem (medulla oblongata).  Needless to say, they were not born that way, those injuries were brought on by the gross over-use of pulling and twisting.  Unfortunately, many of the parents are told the child was “still-born” or later succumbed to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). 

Common questions I get:

1. Do children need chiropractic care?  Absolutely! 
2. Do all children need to be adjusted?  No. 
3. Should all children be checked by a chiropractor?  Yes.
4. Are the adjusting procedures different of children?  Yes, they are extremely gentle adjustments that are modified for the child’s age and size.  For infants, most adjustments are performed with fingertip pressure.
5. Have I been specially trained to care for infants and children?  Yes.  In addition to all of the graduate obstetrical and pediatric training I’ve had, I have recently completed a 1-year fellowship program taught by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA).

A Little About Me:

When I was in 4^th Grade, I fell from a pull-up bar while I was hanging upside down and I landed on my upper back; the fall resulted in 6-spinal compression fractures!  I was scared to tell my parents what happened to me (didn’t want to get grounded) so I never told them; in reality, I didn’t realize how badly I was hurt.  

Over time, I forgot about my “little” problem and I never had any pain complaints once the initial injury had healed.  I do however, remember being told that I had “bad posture” and to “stand up straight.”  Little did my parents know that I had smashed 6-bones in my back making it very difficult, if not impossible to stand up straight. 

Ten years later, at age 18, I was rear-ended in my car two times in two days!  I was in college taking my pre-meds for dental school and these accidents changed my life forever.  They changed my life because as a result of the injuries, I finally sought out  chiropractic care for my disabling headaches and spinal pain.  

My chiropractor performed a thorough examination, a detailed history, and took x-rays.  To my amazement (and I think his) he explained that approximately 10-years earlier I had fractured my spine in 6-places.  He hit the nail on the head; I was 8-years old when I had that fall, a fall that I had totally forgotten about until he estimated that I was in 4^th grade! 

Three chiropractic adjustments later, I changed my college major and sent a letter off to Palmer College of Chiropractic asking for an application.   For me, chiropractic was a completely new discovery that enhanced my life so incredibly, I couldn't ignore it...I had to be a Chiropractor!

A day doesn’t go by that I’m not grateful for being hit by those cars (some people have to have “sense” knocked into them) – those car accidents and my chiropractor changed my life forever.  I am so fortunate and blessed that I can perform that same service to hundreds of children every year and ultimately thousands of kids over my lifetime.  

Yes, I have to say that without a doubt, caring for children is the most rewarding service I can perform.  To realize that chiropractic can have such far-reaching implications in a child’s life-long development is an awesome feeling.
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Pictures from standard obstetrical deliveries

Pulling	Stretching	Vacuum
Forceps	Twisting	Happy, well-adjusted kids!

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Pregnant? Know someone who is? If you’re pregnant, planning on becoming pregnant, or know of someone who’s pregnant, I strongly suggest that you attend a Bradley Method® birthing class.  If you or someone you know would like more information, please contact our birthing instructor, Michelle Viers, AAHC at 253-535-8908 or if you’re not in the area, call 800-4-A-Birth to find an instructor near you.  If you’d like to use a midwife (like my wife and I are using), please contact me and I would be happy to give you our midwife’s name. Personally, I feel that the Bradley Method® is far superior to any other birthing method available today.  Michelle is a very well informed and caring instructor who tells it like it is!  The Bradley Method® is famous for getting fathers involved in the birth process and places them in the roll of being a "coach."  Additionally, the information gained from the class is priceless and you take with you information that will serve you well for the rest of your life.  I feel that the classes are without a doubt the best there is!   Numbers don't lie and the Bradley Method® has the best outcomes I've seen - the classes leave you empowered, educated and feeling quite responsible for the best possible delivery. The Bradley Method® - Official Homepage __________________________________________

"I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very
    much about what I think of what I do. That is character!"
Teddy Roosevelt