6 Simple Strategies to Help Your Child Maintain Good Posture
We all know how drastically children grow before our eyes; sometimes, it seems like they gain height overnight!
It’s important to remember that physical development isn’t just about genetics and puberty. Lifestyle patterns and habits can play a significant role in how kids settle into their adult form.
In this article, I’ll share how you can support healthy development in your child by instilling good posture habits. You’ll get a better sense of why posture matters for their long-term health. You’ll pocket easy tips and exercises that you can start putting into practice with your child today.
Why Your Child’s Posture Matters
One of the best ways to support your child’s long-term spinal health is to go for early spinal screenings. Early screenings not only provide your child with increased body awareness but an opportunity to make corrections while their body is still growing and responsive to change.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
It is easier to prevent a problem from occurring than to stop or correct it once it has started.
Studies show flexed postures, such as being hunched over at a desk or a device, are commonly associated with low-back pain, upper back pain, and neck pain (1). With technology being well-integrated in our schools and lifestyles, children are more likely to develop neck and back complications down the road. You can help prevent this progression by introducing them to good posture habits while using technology.
Support their emotional wellbeing.
Posture can have an impact on overall mood and wellbeing. Studies have shown that a stooped posture is associated with more negative moods and thoughts than straight or control postures. It is also associated with poor mood recovery from a negative mood condition (2).
Detect spinal conditions earlier in life.
The biggest reason it’s a good idea to get an early spinal screening is to check for conditions like scoliosis. Early detection is critical, as it can prevent curve progression and invasive interventions, including surgical intervention (3).
How to Perform a Quick Posture Screen for Your Child:
These simple landmarks can be used as a quick screen to determine whether or not your child is experiencing any postural asymmetries:
Have your child stand facing away from you.
Locate the following landmarks on both sides, and check to see if they are level or in line with one another:
The bottoms of your child’s ears
The tops of your child’s shoulders
The bottoms of your child’s shoulder blades
Your child’s waist (the most narrow portion of their torso)
The top of your child’s pelvis
If you notice that one or more of these landmarks are not level, such as one being higher than the other, this indicates postural asymmetry.
Subtle asymmetry is common and expected.
It is important to note that there is no such thing as perfect posture; every child will have some degree of subtle variations and asymmetries.
These variations may be influenced by your child’s dominant hand, the sports or activities they engage in, or other repetitive actions favouring one side of the body. These subtle asymmetries are no need for concern.
However, pain or more obvious asymmetries may indicate tension in the spine, which can be assessed and treated with gentle, paediatric chiropractic care.
Check with a Paediatric Chiropractor
It is never too early to be assessed by a pediatric chiropractor! Children do not need to be experiencing any symptoms to see a Chiropractor.
Wellness visits consist of proactive spinal assessments designed to detect spinal tension before any symptoms arise.
“As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”
Early influences can have permanent repercussions later on in life. By incorporating healthy spinal habits and checks, you’ll be adding positive influences to facilitate better outcomes as they enter adulthood.
Quick Tips to Improve Your Child’s Posture
Practice the habits and exercise below to offset excessive stress on their spines.
Keep them moving.
Posture is not static or conscious. Telling your child to “sit up straight” may work for a few minutes. Still, they will not maintain this position if they lack muscular endurance in those deep, postural muscles.
Exercise and movement are the best ways to build up the muscles required to hold the spine straight and maintain good posture. Consider enrolling your child in a movement-heavy hobby, or take them out to play, often!
Practice dynamic sitting.
If age-appropriate, try having your child sit on a seat without back support, such as a stool or stability ball. These sitting positions are a great way to engage the core, which plays a significant role in spinal strengthening and maintaining optimal posture.
Everyone could use more tummy time.
Just like “tummy time” is essential for infants, extension is equally necessary for older children.
Extension postures balance out all of the more dominant flexion postures that occur at a desk in a classroom.
Try having your child read a book or do their homework while laying on their stomachs. This position can also help to strengthen the postural muscles in the neck and upper back, which are paramount to maintaining good posture.
Keep devices at eye level.
Instead of your child flexing their neck to look down at their device, try using a pillow on their lap to bring the device closer to eye level.
Keeping devices at eye level reduces stress on the neck and upper back and can prevent back pain and headaches.
Incorporate Brueger’s Position with study time:
Brueger’s position intends to reduce spinal strain and reinforce good posture and relaxed breathing.
Teach your child how to perform this posture, and encourage them to get into it multiple times throughout the school day
Sit or perch at the edge of a chair
Hold your head up high, imaging a string pulling the top of your head towards the ceiling
Allow your legs to sit apart from one another, turning your feet out towards the sides
Tilt your pelvis forwards, creating a natural arch in your low back, and raise your chest up
Turn your palms up, rolling your shoulders down and back
Hold this position and take deep belly breaths for 10 seconds
In Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to support your child’s posture and long-term spinal health.
Start with an at-home posture screening, then consider visiting a chiropractor for early screenings. Slowly incorporate exercises at home so that your child can develop habits that they can take with them into the world.
If you need support, book an assessment using my online booking system or email me.
Sources:
Murphy, S., Buckle, P., Stubbs, D. (2004). Classroom posture and self-reported back and neck pain in schoolchildren. Applied Ergonomics, 35(2), 13-120, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2004.01.001.
Lotte Veenstra, L., Iris K. Schneider, I.K., & Koole, S.L. (2017). Embodied mood regulation: the impact of body posture on mood recovery, negative thoughts, and mood-congruent recall. Cognition and Emotion, 31(7), 1361-1376, DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2016.1225003
Renshaw TS. (1988). Screening school children for scoliosis. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 26-33, https://europepmc.org/article/med/3349685
