BACKS to School

That wasn't a typo, is your school aged child complaining of back, neck and postural issues or are you noticing their posture decline?

With the home schooling challenges many parents have faced over the past year and recent months, thankfully kids can now go marching back to school (again!) and everyone can settle back into some sort of norm.

With the return to school, it is a timely reminder for kids to get their annual check ups. Schooling from home was no doubt tough for all on the mind and body. This January we saw a surge in concerned parents and their kids with postural complaints

The most common request, “can you fix this slouch” ... in a word yes, but as with all habits, posture is learned. A single corrective adjustment goes a long way, but Posture just like your times tables, physics formulas or historical facts are learnt behaviours that takes repetition.

As any parent knows there are good and bad behaviours, bad behavious for us are... too much computer games, iphone, ipad and Netflix! Too much of the same repetitive posture is what leads to bad posture. Once its learned and ingrained its hard to iron out those bad habits. Bad posture isn’t great aesthetically, aches turn into pains and it jut goes downhill from there.

As a concerned parent what can you do?

1. Encourage time out or regular breaks from screen time. For every hour of screen time encourage a 5 min stretch break. All game consoles have a pause button!

2. Establish technology free zones, like family time at Breakfast or Dinner, no phones at the table, first to touch their phone does the dishes!

3. Encourage activities that move the body and limit sitting

4. No screen time after lights out or bedtime.

5. Encourage your child to stand “taller” not straighter.

It's a sad fact but but the majority of all postural issues revolve around technology use, whether young or old, too much screen time is the leading cause of postural change, upper back and neck pain.

So lead by example, stand tall, limit screen time and also get your posture checked and spine adjusted today.