Are you concerned about your child’s bad posture? You should be! Do you know, children who slouch or have any other types of bad posture are often present with cases of spinal misalignments (causing chronic lower back pain, pinched nerves conditions, growing pains around their pelvis, spine, knees and hips), kyphosis (hunched back) and even respiratory problems as they grow?
Identifying them early helps you to correct any impending physical and/or mental health issues (anxiety, low self-esteem etc.) arising from a simple case of bad posture your child may have.
Nibbling the issue in the bud: How to identify bad posture.
Here’s a simple Standing Wall test you can carry out at home, to check if your child has bad posture.
- Get your child to stand with his/her head, shoulder blades and buttocks touching the wall.
- Heels are to be 2-4 inches (5-10cm) away from the wall.
- Slide your hand behind the curve in your child’s lower back, with your palm flat against the wall.
- You should have about one hand’s thickness (about 2 inches) of space between your child’s back and the wall.
- Verdict: If the space between is more than 2 inches, your child may have bad posture and/or a curved hyperlordotic back.
Alternatively, you can also refer to the image below to identify if your child’s posture coincides with any of the following:
Other visible signs of a bad posture include rounded shoulders, a potbelly, bent knees or a head that leans forward/backward. Do also look out to see if your child constantly complains of back pain, body aches, joint pains, muscle fatigue, headache or even difficulty sleeping or getting cranky easily as this could be a sign too.
Can chiropractic adjustments help to correct bad posture?
Chiropractic adjustments have been studied for more than a decade to help correct bad posture in both adults and children. In recent years, multimodal rehabilitation programs are even introduced to support postural improvements as they are believed to be able to improve health conditions and promote wellness as a whole.
Chiropractic care can help your child’s spinal misalignment issues, ensuring their body is functioning optimally and maximise their genetic potential as they grow.
What about Scoliosis – can Chiropractic adjustments help?
While scoliosis is often mistaken as ‘another bad posture condition’, it is definitely not. Scoliosis is a condition where the spine is curved from side-to-side. It could be structural in nature- from birth (genetic or otherwise), due to neuromuscular or functional (postural) issues and can arise as early as during infantry (below 1 years old).
When viewed from behind, a person with scoliosis will have a posture that either looks like an ‘S’ or a ‘C’. Overtime, the body will lean to one side. This in turn will cause major spine misalignment, chronic back pain, joint issues, growth problems, respiratory conditions, sleeping disorders and can even affect one’s emotional wellbeing.
The biggest challenge in treating scoliosis in children is staying ahead of the condition’s natural path of progression as it tends to worsen over time if left unattended when they’re growing taller. Treatment should be started as soon as one is diagnosed.
To know more about Scoliosis in children, do stay tuned for more information in our upcoming blog post!
When is it time to visit a chiropractor?
Let’s talk a little bit more on how Chiropractic treatments can help children with bad posture and/or scoliosis issues.
When you visit My Chirocare, our professional chiropractor will first have a detailed consultation to understand your child’s history and concern followed by a thorough physical, orthopaedic and neurological examination which will include assessing your child for any signs of postural imbalance such as a tilted pelvis or if one shoulder is higher than the other.
From there, the chiropractor will have a discussion with you pertaining to what we have found, the cause(s) of concern and your child’s postural realignment sessions.
The program will be customised to fit your child, and often includes:-
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Myofascial release therapy
- Recommended lifestyle modifications and ergonomic advices
- Recommended home care and stretching, strengthening and rehabilitative exercises
How can you help as a parent?
To ensure your child’s bad posture or scoliosis condition does not get worse, don’t wait to seek professional chiropractic help. Early intervention can help to prevent the spine from continuing its progression in the case of scoliosis management as well as playing a key role in correcting your child’s posture before their growth spurt.
Bring along your child for an assessment at My Chirocare today!