Does Your Child Have Poor Posture? Know the Signs!
According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 40 percent of children have poor posture. Of those children, a majority are boys. While it can be a hereditary issue from a condition such as kyphosis, it’s often caused by changes in the alignment of the spine. Fortunately, when a child has an imbalance causing him or her to have poor posture, our office has the latest advancements in chiropractic to help. One of the most advanced techniques in chiropractic is called Chiropractic Biophysics aka CBP. The CBP technique’s primary focus is postural correction, and our doctors at PCH Chiropractic are certified in the CBP Technique. However, before you bring your child, familiarize yourself with the signs and know what to expect when you visit.
General Information
In today’s high-tech world, with kids being glued to their phones and video games, it’s a recipe for poor posture, as they’re hunched over their electronic devices. Other causes of poor posture can be if your child isn’t getting enough sleep, leads a sedentary lifestyle, has suffered from a spine injury, or had a traumatic birth.
Proper posture is when a person holds their head high, with their shoulders in a relaxed position. When you view their posture from behind or the front their legs are even, the pelvis is level, the shoulders are also level, and the head is straight in a 90-degree orientation to the shoulders. When viewing your child’s posture from the side their ear should be directly over the shoulder, and their shoulders, hips, and knees should all sit directly above their ankle.
While slouching is the poor posture most people think of, this is a term that covers a range of body misalignments.
Poor posture can cause a child to have neck or lower back pain. Postural changes have also been associated with changes to blood flow to the brain, focusing issues, breathing issues, and even changes in longevity. For some children, it can hinder their ability to play, learn, and socialize as normal. Kids with poor posture may have low self-esteem as a result. They may not want to participate in sports, take pictures, and do other activities that other kids their age are doing. Unfortunately, this can lead to your child missing opportunities to develop necessary skills and gain confidence. Not to mention, it can interfere with development and overall health.
Signs of Poor Posture in Children
Assess your child when he or she walks or sits. Look to see if your child is maintaining good posture with his or her shoulders down and back straight. See if your child has rounded shoulders, which can happen if your child is seated a lot and isn’t practicing proper posture.
Look to see what your child’s back curvature looks like. If it’s increasingly more curved in the upper portion, it’s a sign your child has poor posture. Evaluate how your little one tilts his or her head. When there’s a forward tilt, it’s a sign of poor posture. Also, make sure that your child is not always just standing over one hip and can actually stand straight when they are looking at you. Listen to your child when he or she voices concerns about pain, particularly in his or her shoulders, neck, or back.
An easy at-home test you can perform yourself is called Adams sign. Have your child remove any clothing from the waist upwards. Then have them stand in front of you, but facing away from you. Next, have them bend forward as if they are trying to touch their toes, and hold it. Now you step closer to them and look down their spine from the waist all the way to the base of their skull. You should be able to see the bumps of their spine the whole way. Each one of these bumps is called a Spinas Process. Now make an imaginary line of all the Spinas Processes lined up. They should all make one straight imaginary line from the pelvis to the neck region. If there seem to be any curves, or even an “S” shape from this imaginary line, that can indicate spinal curves or scoliosis. If so, be sure and have your child checked further by a spinal/postural expert like the Doctors at PCH Chiropractic.
Getting Your Child Chiropractic Care
Our practitioners specialize in pediatric care as well as posture correction. So, if you’re noticing he or she has symptoms of poor posture, bring him or her into our office for an appointment.
The first part of the appointment consists of our chiropractor assessing your child’s posture to see if there is a deficit. During the assessment, our practitioner will perform imaging, such as a computerized 3D analysis, to look at your kid’s spine for any misalignments and any damage done from poor posture. Although not always necessary, X-rays are sometimes utilized in more severe cases. When X-rays are needed they can be performed right at PCH Chiropractic with low radiation digital imaging.
Our office uses advanced techniques in evaluating children for postural deformity. These thorough evaluation techniques are then followed up with corrective care that may include: Chiropractic Adjustments, Rehabilitative Exercises, Spinal Remodeling traction, and Home Care. With over 40 years of combined experience, the Doctors of Chiropractic at PCH Chiropractic have both the expertise and vast experience to help your child.
One’s posture is simply a reflection of the integrity of the underlying structures and a “viewbox” into the health potential of your child. At PCH Chiropractic, our chiropractors recognize that posture plays a vital role in development. They have the necessary tools and skills to help your child combat the underlying causes of poor posture, so they can walk with their heads high and spine straight.
Contact us by calling 949-503-2691 for an appointment today if your child has signs of poor posture. For your convenience, you may also use our online scheduling tool.
