Health & Fitness
Back to school and the importance of good posture
The road to a healthy neck and back starts in childhood/adolescence. Hear about the importance of good posture and tips on how to talk to your kids about this
Fall is upon us and the kids (and parents) are starting to get
back into the school routine of homework, after school activities, tests, etc. While most families are still out purchasing
new clothes, backpacks, and school supplies, has a posture support lumbar roll
ever shown up on your child’s list of must haves for the classroom? Probably
not. While most kids probably do not necessarily “need” a lumbar pillow to
correct their posture, this is a perfect
time of year to start teaching kids about the importance of good posture and a
healthy back. Kids spend a good amount of time sitting just like adults and
poor posture now can set up for bad habits down the road. I believe that poor
posturing in sleeping, sitting, and standing is one of the main causes of back
and neck pain. So here is my usual advice for parents that bring their kids into
the clinic with aches and pains:
#1: Start to take notice to how your child is sitting at
home at the dinner table, at the computer, or while they play video games.
While they may hold good posture at first, wait about five minutes and see what
their posture looks like. It is probably starting to look a little slumped.
#2: Talk to your kids about what proper posture is and why
it is important. The low back should always have a c curve meaning it should
curve in. Your shoulders should be back and not rounded forward. Your head
should not protrude forward. Your ears should be aligned over your shoulders.
Once you start talking to your kids about posture they will start to notice how
they are sitting throughout the day. You
can watch my YouTube presentation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlZVtjYy2p0&feature=plcp)
on back pain where I describe proper posturing if you are unsure of what proper
posture looks like.
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#3: If your child is having any sort of back or neck pain it
is always a good idea for them to see their physician, chiropractor or physical
therapist. They will be able to see if there is anything more serious going. In
most cases, however, some posture correction will do the trick. For more
information on posture correction lumbar supports, you can visit performance
spine and sports medicine of Newtown or contact me at kpalmer@pssmnewtown.com
