When Your Child’s Growing Body Sends Warning Signals: Understanding the Hidden Connection Between Growth Spurts and Spinal Health

Every parent knows the telltale signs of a growth spurt: pants that suddenly become too short, shoes that pinch, and the constant refrain of “I’m hungry!” But what many parents don’t realize is that rapid childhood growth, especially during pubertal growth spurts, significantly affects key spinal alignment parameters including pelvic incidence, pelvic tilt, and lumbar lordosis. These dramatic physical changes can create challenges that extend far beyond outgrown clothing.

The Science Behind Growing Pains and Spinal Development

During childhood development, continuous harmonization of spinal sagittal alignment is necessary in children to support their postural, functional and pulmonary developments. Scoliosis most often develops during the growth spurt just before puberty, affecting approximately 3% of adolescents. The spine undergoes remarkable changes during these periods, with growth spurts in the first 5 years of life being even stronger than during puberty (12-14 cm).

As children begin to experience growth spurts, the spine is driven out of alignment via translation of discs. Because the body is growing at such a rapid pace, these translations become cemented, setting the tone for long-term spinal dysfunction. This is particularly concerning because rapid growth during adolescence is a critical period for scoliosis development, and during puberty, many adolescents experience significant growth spurts that can trigger or worsen existing spinal curves.

Recognizing the Warning Signs

Parents should be vigilant for several key indicators that their child may be experiencing spinal alignment issues during growth spurts. These signs usually show up during a growth spurt when the spinal curvature may worsen. Common warning signs include:

Uneven shoulders, a curved back, or one hip being higher than the other
A shoulder blade that sticks out, particularly when the child bends forward
Noticeable postural issues (e.g., uneven shoulders, a tilted head, a pronounced slouch)
Aching legs, tight muscles, and joint pain as they grow, which chiropractic adjustments can help relieve by keeping the spine aligned

Signs of scoliosis usually start off as small issues that may not be easy to see at first. They often become clearer during the growth spurt in adolescence, which happens between the ages of 10 and 15.

How Chiropractic Care Supports Growing Children

At Chiropractic First in Grand Rapids, Michigan, you are our priority, and we’re here to listen to you, help you with pain and physical limitations, and help you to improve your quantity and quality of life. Dr. Heath practices with passion, total commitment and hard work. He cares for you and your family as he cares for his own.

The truth is, rapid growth puts stress on the spine and nervous system, and chiropractic care can help kids grow strong, healthy, and pain-free. Children experience rapid growth and developmental changes in their early years. From crawling to walking, to more complex activities as they grow, their spines and nervous systems are constantly evolving. Pediatric chiropractic care focuses on ensuring that a child’s spine, nervous system, and overall musculoskeletal health are functioning optimally.

Professional children chiropractic care offers several key benefits during growth spurts:

Improve alignment and posture, reducing unnecessary strain on growing muscles. Enhance nervous system function, allowing the body to better adapt to growth. Increase circulation, which can help reduce inflammation and soreness
Support during growth milestones: Major growth spurts can place extra pressure on a child’s body. Chiropractic care can help manage this transition
As kids grow, their posture can change—especially if they carry heavy backpacks, hunch over screens, or have a sudden change in height. Chiropractic care ensures that their spine stays aligned, preventing long-term posture problems

When to Seek Professional Care

We recommend regular check-ups at least once a year during the early teenage years to ensure your child’s spine is developing correctly. Your chiropractor will also check for signs of scoliosis. Early diagnosis and treatment has been proven to stop the scoliosis curve from becoming severe.

If scoliosis can be diagnosed before the child has a growth spurt, the provider can determine a treatment plan that prevents a bigger curve from forming during times of growth. Although treatment for scoliosis cannot reverse the spinal curve, the earlier scoliosis is identified and treatment is started, the more likely it is that progression of the curve can be stopped.

Parents should consider seeking evaluation if their child experiences:

Persistent complaints of back, neck, or growing pains
Visible postural changes or asymmetries
Difficulty with balance or coordination during growth spurts
Sleep disturbances or behavioral changes during rapid growth periods

We recommend consulting your child’s medical doctor first. If your child is experiencing pain, stiffness or cracking of the spine or joints, Children’s specialists recommend starting with a visit to your child’s pediatrician or an orthopedic specialist who can help determine the root cause of your child’s symptoms.

The Importance of Early Intervention

Adolescence brings rapid growth and hormonal changes that place additional stress on the spine. Chiropractic care is important during this period so your child can maintain proper spinal growth and balance. Left untreated, spinal misalignments can cause the spine and joints to slowly degenerate. Our chiropractors often treat adults with back pain and neck pain stemming from injuries they experienced as a child or teenager. Many didn’t experience any symptoms of pain or stiffness until it reached the advanced stages, years later, in adulthood. If the spinal problem that was causing these symptoms had been corrected at an early age, then they could have avoided a lifetime of chronic back and neck pain.

If left unresolved, scoliosis can cause lifelong issues for a person. To compound issues, correcting scoliosis in adults is infinitely harder than in children, simply because the spine has gone beyond its developmental stages and become cemented in its dysfunction.

A Holistic Approach to Growing Health

At Chiropractic First, we provide holistic chiropractic care for natural pain relief, improved mobility, and increased health and happiness. Our main goal has always been to provide personalized chiropractic treatment at a reasonable price. Our Chiropractor utilizes the latest and greatest chiropractic techniques, promoting faster recovery time with shorter treatment time. You can be sure that our team is focused on getting you to your healthiest!

Chiropractic treatment gives natural, safe relief for Growing Pains. Chiropractic treatment is a natural, drug-free treatment that is safe and effective for the whole family including children. The good news for parents is that chiropractic is absolutely safe when performed by a qualified professional. More than a few peer-reviewed studies have been published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, confirming the relative safety and outlining potential benefits of pediatric chiropractic adjustments.

Growing up doesn’t have to mean growing pains. By understanding the connection between rapid childhood development and spinal alignment, and knowing when to seek professional care, parents can help ensure their children develop strong, healthy spines that will serve them throughout their lives. We always welcome new patients! Schedule your appointment at our Grand Rapids chiropractic office by calling us at (616) 538-1780.