Good posture important in developmental years
Good posture important in developmental years
Build good posture habits when children are young
From the moment a child begins to walk, gravity takes its toll on the body with poor posture, says Scott Bautch, DC, past president of the Occupational Health Council for the Arlington, VA-based American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and a practicing chiropractor in Wausau, WI. Therefore, it is important to develop good habits when the child is young.
Children develop their postural tendencies between the ages of 4 and 6, so this is a good time to teach them how to maintain good posture in all they do, says Bautch. By the time they are 8 years old, they have developed posture habits, either good or bad. If the teaching takes place during adolescence, it is even more difficult to develop good posture and change bad habits.
Children too sedentary
It’s important to help children develop a habit of motion. In the United States, most are too sedentary, playing computer games for hours or watching TV. Motion is part of good joint maintenance, says Bautch.
In addition, children need to learn good posture when sitting at the computer or reading a book and even sleeping. Sleeping on their stomach is hard on their body, and parents should not let children form this bad habit, says Bautch.
If a child’s feet don’t touch the floor while using the computer, a footrest or box should be placed under their feet. Parents also might consider purchasing a smaller table for homework, so their children’s feet touch the floor. The computer monitor should be at or below a child’s eye level, according to the ACA.
The enormous backpacks children lug around are detrimental to good posture as well. If children carry a heavy backpack on one shoulder during their growing years, it might take the spine a long time to return to neutral position once the weight is removed, says Bautch. It may even cause permanent changes in the spine, he says.
The ACA recommends that children use both straps on their backpack and that the contents not weigh more than 10% of the child’s body weight. Also, the straps should be padded.
By the age 14, 7% of children have back pain that affects their daily living as a result of poor posture, says Bautch.
From the moment a child begins to walk, gravity takes its toll on the body with poor posture, says Scott Bautch, DC, past president of the Occupational Health Council for the Arlington, VA-based American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and a practicing chiropractor in Wausau, WI. Therefore, it is important to develop good habits when the child is young.Subscribe Now for Access
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