Unfortunately, many of us suffer with back pain and require treatment. More often than not though, this is due to bad posture. What you may not know, is that bad posture stems back to habits formed from sitting for long hours at school, university and work.

Later in life, our day-to-day activities change and this can often trigger more severe back pain or injuries. This is why it’s so important to teach our kids good posture habits early in life, so they can minimise back pain or injuries down the track.

Today, we’re going to share with you the most common causes for kid’s bad posture and some simple cues to help you teach your kids good posture (they’ll thank you for it later).

What are the most common causes of bad posture in kids?

Some of the most common causes are:

  • Heavy school backpacks

Believe it or not, your child’s backpack could be doing more harm than good, with the health of their spine possibly at risk.

How? Well, when a backpack is too heavy the body will have to compensate by tilting forward to counter the effects of gravity. This will alter the alignment of the child’s posture and increase the strain on the spine. 

  • Video Games & TV

Along with eye strain, muscle and joint problems, headaches and even obesity, hours playing video games or slouching in front of the TV can lead to bad posture. Bad posture can then lead to problems with the spine, poor circulation of the blood, and pain in muscles and joints.

  • School chair slouching

Whether it be due to boredom, fatigue, or discomfort, slouching in a school chair seems to be the seating style of choice for many kids. When you consider how many hours a day kids are sitting at school, and then at home, the poor posture habits start to add up.

How can you teach your kids good posture?

There are many ways you can teach your kids good posture; even simple cues can help.

  • Sitting

–       Touch your back to the back of the chair

–        Your knees should make a right angle

–        Feet should be flat on the floor (or on a footstool)

–        Keep your legs straight – not crossed

Tip: Try getting your child to sit on a fit ball whilst watching television or playing a video game. This not only helps them to practice correct posture, it builds that all important core strength too, which will support their posture into the future. 

  • Standing

–        Hold your head up and look straight ahead

–        Pull your chin in slightly, not out

–        Relax and put your shoulders back

–        Tuck your tummy in

–        Keep your chest in a neutral position to avoid slouching

Tip: Get your child to practice in front of a mirror.

  • Lifting

– When you are lifting, bend your knees and straighten your back (don’t just bend over)

– Try to avoid lifting anything higher than your waist

– Hold the item close to your body

Tip: Practice lifting light objects with your child to avoid any injuries.

It’s important to teach our kids good posture habits early in life, so they can minimise back pain or injuries later in life. 

Better still, kids with bad posture habits may benefit from physiotherapy and back pain treatment to help improve their posture too.

Not sure if your child’s posture is good or bad? At Morley Physiotherapy, we can help by assessing your child’s posture and providing you with tips to teach them to improve.

Contact us at Morley Physiotherapy, your Maylands physio to book an appointment today.