6 January, 2017
Children spend around 20% of their time at school, much of which is seated. This can seriously impact health.
Older students are stuck at a desk doing homework during the evening adding to already long school days.
These long periods of inactivity are frequently compounded by poor seated posture which can have both short and long-term health consequences.
Prolonged periods of sitting have been associated with poor health such as increased mortality rates and increased risk of certain cancers. This is why it‘s important to create good habits early in life.
Prolonged sitting is frequently accompanied by fatigue and slouching. Poor posture can cause a multitude of symptoms such as:
Headaches
Neck pain and tightness
Pins and needles into the arms and legs
Back pain
What to look for / signs of poor posture:
Slouching back in the chair
Leaning forward close to the page
Constantly shifting and moving position
Resting head on free hand
Fatigue or complaints of tiredness
Messy handwriting and difficulty paying attention in class
Complaints of aches and pain
Causes of Poor Posture:
Poor posture can be due to several reasons and it’s generally not a deficiency of hearing “sit straight”!
Commonly, core weakness can result in the inability to sit up straight for extended periods of time. Another cause is retained primitive reflexes which can result in fidgeting and restless behaviour.
What can you do?
Ensure that your child has regular breaks to get up and move. It can be helpful to set an alarm or purchase a cheap clock and draw a timetable onto the clock. For example, study for 25 minutes, followed by a five-minute moving break.
Encourage regular physical exercise around study periods such as joining a sporting club.
Ensure that you regularly review your child’s desk set up. As your child grows and develops, the set up may need to be altered to suit their new body shape.
Take a couple of photos of your child whilst at their desk: from behind them as well as on the side. Bring these into your next paediatric Chiropractic assessment or email them through to admin prior to your appointment to provide specific advice to you and your family.
Chiropractic and Poor Posture
Drs Cassie and Tonilee, our paediatric-trained Chiropractors, will assess your child’s posture, movement, core and other muscle strength, nervous system maturity (checking for appropriate development such as primitive reflexes) and more depending on the presenting complaint.
Chiropractic for children is specifically tailored to the child and is quite different to an adult treatment. It may include:
Non-manipulative mobilisations or adjustments depending on their age and development
Massage and stretches of the tight muscles
Cranial therapy
Home exercises to address core strength, muscle imbalances and integration of primitive reflexes
Appointments available in Moonee Ponds or online.
About the Author
Dr Cassie Atkinson-Quinton - Paediatric-Trained Chiropractor & Paediatric Sleep Coach
Dr Cassie is a paediatric-trained chiropractor, sleep coach and, most importantly, mumma to Master H. She loves seeing newborns grow into inquisitive toddlers and busy school kids. She assesses for neurological development (primitive reflexes), posture, sleep health and movement patterns. She's an eager learning just like the kids she sees.
"It's better to grow healthy children than fix injured adults."
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