Posture-Postulations For Kids- Make The Right Choice

Someone has rightly said, “A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind.”
Struggle to get your child to stop slouching and sit straight? Does he walk with shoulders bent and you have been trying to get him stand and walk straight? Not uncommon, many parents around the world are struggling with their kids to make them adopt correct postures while sitting, standing and walking. A poor posture is nt just detrimental to your child;s health, but also his confidence and public nagging. Having the right posture is extremely important for a good and presentable personality.

A good posture is the ability of the body to check the position in space against the external gravitational forces of the external world. Posture is both dynamic (maintaining balance) and static (sitting in one position).
Posture is indeed a learned behavior, as a natural reflex, and the sooner it is learnt, the better. Encouraging your children to have a correct posture, and learn about a bad posture will help you and them in a long way.

What Is Refereed To As A ‘Correct Posture’?

An incorrect posture could prove detrimental to your child’s well being. Hence, it is imperative to ensure that your child sits and stands properly. You will probably need to correct countless number of times, but once the habit is formed, it will stay for life.
If you are holding your body in a good posture, your back will experience the least strain. The three natural curves of the spine, namely cervical, thoracic and lumbar, are somewhat ‘S’ shaped and when you have a correct posture, the ligaments and the muscles supported do not get stressed, and as a result your child will not experience chronic back neck or shoulder pain and chronic fatigue. When your child’s back experiences the least strain, and the joints and the muscles are aligned properly and straight, it can be called as a good posture. Your child will also appear relaxed as he will be aware of his body alignment.

How Can You Check Your Child’s Posture?

The below steps will help you determine whether your’s and your child’s posture is correct –

1. Make your child stand with the back of his head firmly against a wall
2. With his buttocks and shoulders still touching the wall, move his heels 6 inches from the wall
3. If the gap between his neck and the small of his back is less than 2 inches, his posture is correct
4. However, if the gap is more than 2 inches, it indicates a bad posture and a curving spine

What Causes Poor Posture In Children?

Faulty and bad posture can be due to a combination of following five reasons:

1. Peripheral nervous system disorders
2. Central nervous system disorders
3. Ear problems
4. Eye problems
5. Musculoskeletal system problems

How Can Parents Ensure That The Child Adopts A Good Posture?

Here are some easy-to-do tips for keeping good posture of your children.

• Do not allow your child to lie in bed while playing video games or watching television
• If the children carry rucksack, ensure the straps of the bag are properly tied around the waist. This spreads the weight evenly and keeps the postural problems at bay
• Make sure the kids do not watch television or paly computer or sit for too long. They should not sit for more than 30 minutes continuously
• Encourage your kids to walk as walking forms an integral part of a healthy daily exercise regime

Childhood posture is a matter of great concern and parents need to be aware of the postural issues. The right posture is crucial in pre-school children.

Correct Posture While Sitting

1. Your head should be straight and not tilted up or down
2. Sit with the legs slightly lower than hips
3. Shoulders should be kept back
4. Feet should be flat on the floor

Correct Posture While Standing

1. The shoulders should be back and aligned together
2. Your body should be straight – use your stomach muscles
3. The knees should be slightly bent to ease pressure on the hips

Correct Posture While Sleeping

1. The mattress should be a firm one, offering support
2. Do some light stretching to ease out tense muscles
3. Sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs
4. Sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees for better support
5. Minimise spinal curves by using pillows as necessary or upgrade your mattress
6. Use quality shoes that offer good support

How Will A Bad Posture Affect My Child?

In the first four years of childhood, there is a rapid growth and development of postural responses, which reverts until the attainment of postural reflexes usually reached at the age of 7-10 years. As we age the elastic part of the discs usually solidifies and results in slow loss of flexibility in back. Sometimes cracks can appear in discs that can result in severe backache. Sometimes children might have abnormal discs.S tress on spine and body with bad static posture can cause bad habits that will interfere with proper development of the child. Postural defects can start from the newly born. It depends on how they are carried in arms, seated in car, etc. It gives a static, restricted and constricted space for proper posture.
Studies have revealed that low backache begins in childhood. Poor posture is one of the major reasons leading to back pain. Children should be trained in adopting good posture from early years as this can decrease the prevalence of back ache in children.
An important thing to keep in mind is that majority of the postural training in static posture and its dynamic reflexes are seen in early pre-school life.

Some Postural Defects That Can Occur In Children

Bad posture can cause many ‘musculoskeletal’ problems such as ‘de-conditioning of muscular system’. Keeping the body in wrong posture for long can lead to muscular weakness in some areas. This results in excessive stress and strain on spine and can also restrict motion of spinal segment that ultimately causes pain. Structural and mechanical alterations such as scoliosis can lead to bad posture. And bad posture can cause ‘functional scoliosis’ which can be defined as ‘sideways curvature of spine’. Wrong posture can lead to stress on spine at different levels. The drooping position can levy excessive unnecessary load on back. This can further deteriorate and result in frequent headaches and difficulty in concentrating or focusing.

• Forward Hip Tilt: Excessive sitting can cause this postural defect.
• Hunchback: Another defect caused by too much sitting is hunchback. In this condition the back is excessively curved (greater than 45 degree).
• Forward head: This defect is caused by sitting on a chair and staring at computer for long hours.
• Rounded shoulders: Sitting for long hours or carrying heavy weight on shoulders can cause this bad posture.
• Over-pronated feet: Obese children might experience this postural defect caused by repetitive pounding of feet arch on some hard surface.
  Bad posture goes hand in hand along with faulty carrying and lifting techniques.
  As the child grows from two years upwards, this is the most important time when posture should be taken care of. Observe your child whether they have sagging shoulders, or have leaning tilted spine. This is applicable when they play games. These defects can be due to ‘neuromusculoskeletal’ system and should be analyzed as soon as possible by a qualified healthcare professional.