Children’s posture: Eastern and Western approach

There are many versions of why some children grow up slender and healthy, while others “bend”, acquiring hyperkyphosis (stoop) or scoliosis (curvature of the spine in the frontal plane). The exact answer why this happens, science does not give. I, as a teacher of therapeutic exercises for the spine, study all possible sources – both Western scientific literature and Eastern medical treatises. And here is what I usually advise parents who bring children with postural problems to classes.

More movement and symmetry

This recommendation applies to adults as well, but especially to children. The modern education system imposes a sedentary lifestyle on a child from the first grade. Forced immobility, against the background of which there is an overstrain of the back muscles and, as a result, a change in posture, must be compensated. Any sports that do not have an asymmetric load will do. Asymmetric sports are those sports in which the athlete always plays with one hand (tennis, badminton). In this case, the posture is “skewed” to the task that is set for the body: one half of the body will be more developed, which means that changes in posture are inevitable. In most team sports (volleyball, basketball, football), on the contrary, the task is to develop the body evenly: in basketball, the child must learn to catch, dribble and pass the ball with both hands, in football – to receive and give a pass with both feet equally. In this way, whole-body coordination develops, and even existing “distortions” can be balanced.

In addition, for the prevention and even treatment of problems with the spine, swimming is perfect (under the supervision of an instructor who will build the correct movement technique). I also highly recommend oriental non-sparring martial arts: wushu, aikido and others. In these disciplines, coordination is brought to a very high level: the child learns to perform complex movements, ligaments and combinations, and most importantly, learns to make any movements physiologically correct – without the risk of injury. For girls, a worthy alternative to martial arts is dancing (without acrobatics and hyperstretching).

Protect your child from serious injury

Fractures, large superficial injuries that are sutured with further scarring, may further affect posture. Imagine that you have torn your wetsuit—clothing that is as close to your body as possible—and then stitched up the hole. Where it is sewn, excess tension is formed, which means that in another place it will be compensated somewhere, and the suit will “sag” there, and somewhere else it will pull and reap – the whole system will “move” and become uncomfortable. This analogy clearly shows how, under the influence of major injuries, the entire system of muscles, ligaments and fascia is “twisted”. Of course, this is a fixable situation: with the help of osteopathic procedures and special therapeutic exercises, you can restore balance and straighten your posture. But as the child grows, the ever-changing body will need to be balanced again and again. Of course, parents cannot control every step of the child, but do what you can to keep children safe from serious injury. I recommend giving up combat disciplines that involve sparring, extreme sports such as parkour, various jumps on boards, skis, bicycles – at least before the active growth phase is over.

Straighten your back!

Studies by Swedish neuroscientists, based on the work of the famous Indian neurologist, professor at the University of California Vileyanur Ramachandran, prove that children repeat after us not only words and intonations, but also the manner of movement. They literally “mirror” how we move at the macro and micro levels. Have you noticed that children often develop the same walking style as the parent? This is the work of the so-called mirror neurons of the brain. These neurons are activated in the human brain both when he himself performs this or that action, and when he observes its implementation. Therefore, thinking about the correction of the child’s posture, follow your own demeanor. And if you also have problems with your posture and spine, visit an osteopath together, with the whole family, select physical activities and exercises that are adequate for each of you. So the recovery process will go faster and more productively.

Don’t pressure your child!

In the East, doctors do not separate psychological and somatic (that is, bodily) disease: therefore, treatment, as a rule, is prescribed as a complex one – lifestyle, established habits, and emotional state are corrected. In the case of a curvature of the spine in a child, Chinese medicine defines the accompanying psychological problem as “excessive pressure in the family.” What does it mean? A child who is forced to adapt with difficulty to the family atmosphere, is limited in freedom of choice, regularly feels uncomfortable at home, begins to “bend” under this pressure – both emotionally and physically. This does not mean that his parents are despots (although this happens), just a mismatch of characters is enough. One example: a boy who came to my classes to correct scoliosis grew up in a family with a military grandfather. The boy is a very fine mental organization, loves to draw and listen to music. And grandfather, out of the best of intentions, tried to instill discipline in him and cultivate willpower. Both family members are right in their own way, but without addressing this emotional issue, scoliosis treatment has been much slower than it could have been. So try to establish more trusting relationships in the family and gradually delegate more and more responsibility for your actions and decisions to the child.