Snap! Crackle! Pop!
It’s the sound I wake up to every morning and continue to hear throughout the day.
And not because I gorge on Kellogg’s Rice Krispies.
Nope.
The crack-a-lackin is coming from my daughter’s… wait for it… back.
Yes, my 8-year-old twists, turns, bends, bangs, and hangs her body in the most frightening ways imaginable to get her cracking fix.
She claims her bizarre manipulations ease the tightness she experiences in her lower back. However, my theory is that she is addicted to the sound more than the actual feeling.
I recently consulted a pediatrician about my daughter’s back cracking addiction and was told not to make a big deal about it. Apparently, my kid is not the only one who enjoys contorting her body to elicit a sound similar to shattering glass.
In fact, some children get professionals to crack their backs.
My daughter’s pediatrician was quick to point out that many parents pay big bucks to have chiropractors manipulate their children’s backs in an effort to treat ailments, from asthma to ear infections.
The alternative treatment is sworn by in many parts of North America, though, parents in Europe are not too keen on having their kids’ spines pop like cold cereal.
According to a recent study conducted by researchers in the UK, there is no clear evidence to prove osteopathic manipulation rids kids of maladies.
With the average chiropractor visit costing between$75 and $125, getting your kid’s back cracked by a professional is not cheap. What’s more, many insurance companies don’t cover the expense of osteopathic manipulations which typically require multiple treatments over weeks or months.
Regardless of the cost, some parents insist on paying a professional to move their child’s out-of-line joints back into place and massage soft tissue. They maintain the technique is extremely beneficial, especially if Junior suffers from colic or neck pain.
Not for nothing, but my daughter could probably teach your kid how to crack his own back… provided she gets compensated with new LEGO Friends sets.