While the effects of poor posture often become noticeable later in life, the foundation is laid during childhood. The developmental years are key to establishing healthy posture habits, and it’s important to encourage your child to maintain good posture from an early age.
Causes and Effects of Bad Posture in Children
Most parents will attest to seeing their child hunched over an iPad or Laptop or slumped forward with a gaming device, many times a week. Whilst it may seem harmless enough now, unfortunately these poor posture habits will soon lead to long lasting health issues and possibly chronic pain.
Over time, poor posture puts unnecessary stress on the back and neck muscles, leading to tension and potentially altering the natural curvature of your child’s spine. This tension can result in a variety of discomforts, from headaches to neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. If left unaddressed, bad posture may also lead to poor sleep, lapses of concentration, and even contribute to learning difficulties at school.
While increased screen time is often blamed, it’s not the only factor affecting posture. The everyday school bag can also take a toll. When carried improperly—such as slung over one shoulder or worn too low—heavy backpacks can strain muscles and cause back pain.
‘Tech Neck’
Physiotherapists are now seeing an alarming increase in children complaining of back and neck pain, most commonly due to poor posture. ‘Tech Neck’ is the new name for the pain experienced from repeatedly maintaining an awkward posture when using technology. This is being seen in children as young as pre-school age, so 4-5 years old. If this issue were to be left and not corrected, the muscles in the back and neck will continue to weaken and tighten and the spine will become misaligned.
Simple Ways to Improve your Child’s Posture
With the kids heading back to school, it is the perfect time to start forming new posture habits.
Here are some ways to help improve their posture with just a few simple changes to their daily routine.
1) Education on Posture – Your child may be reluctant to follow instructions if they don’t understand the benefits of their actions. The key is to explain why good posture matters and the long-term risks of neglecting it. Children respond better to praise than criticism, so make sure to offer positive reinforcement whenever they practice good posture. This will motivate them to keep working on it and develop lasting habits.
2) Posture when Sitting – Not only do kids need to sit properly at a desk, they need to consider how they sit in all scenarios, like in front of the TV, on the bus, or when listening to their teacher. Always avoid crossing your legs and swinging on your chair. When sitting at a desk, ensure their feet are flat on the floor, with forearms parallel to the ground, the wrists are in line with elbows when typing or using a mouse, and the screen is eye level to avoid neck strain.
3) Backpacks – Purchase your child a backpack with ergonomic features like adjustable straps and a waist belt for even weight distribution across the shoulders, hips and spine.
4) Posture Friendly Activities – Each week review a regular activity the kids do like reading a book in bed, or how they watch their iPad, and come up with a way to do it differently to improve their posture. Encourage your kids to make small changes and do your best to monitor this and check in to see how they feel after they’ve made the change.
5) Limit Screen Time and Encourage Fun Movement Breaks – It’s well known to both adults and kids that screen time is distracting and you can easily fall into a bad posture without even noticing. Speak to your child about their sitting options when watching or playing, and set a time limit. If that time limit is over 30 mins, try to add a fun movement break every 20-30 mins. Try a mini dance off, a game of statues or a silly walk competition. If you make it fun, your children are much more likely to participate willingly. They might even start to remind you to take more breaks and have a boogie in the kitchen when you’ve been on your devices too long! Speak to your physio about other exercise ideas and put a chart up on the wall, or a short video on their device, so it’s easy to remember.
6) Posture Assessment and Correction – If you are concerned about your child’s posture and/or it doesn’t seem to be improving with the tips above, book in for a Posture Assessment with your physiotherapist or health professional. After their assessment, various posture correction therapy techniques and exercises can be recommended. These will involve re-educating the muscles with specific exercises to strengthen the spine and correct the imbalance.
Posture Assessment and Correction at Sandgate Physical Health Clinic
It’s imperative to take the time to form good posture habits now to ensure your kids will be able to enjoy physical activities and remain pain-free in future.
Our highly trained Physiotherapists can assist with a posture assessment and individual posture treatment correction plan for your child. We also have Teen Pilates classes which are highly recommended for any tween or teen experiencing bad posture or muscle imbalances.
Call today to book on 07 3869 1099.