Which doctor should I go to if the child slouches. Slouching in children: causes and treatment

What if the child slouches over? How to form a correct posture in a child from birth and prevent problems with the spine? What will help maintain the correct spine position during long seated activities? AiF.ru talked about this with Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Orthopedic Traumatologist Lyudmila Mikhailova.

Milich Maya, AiF.ru: What leads to problems with posture in a child?

Lyudmila Mikhailova: Today, the main cause of poor posture is physical inactivity. Parents often adjust the child to their daily routine. For example, they sit on the couch in the evening, watch TV, and the child next to them sits in a flexion position with the head and shoulders down. Unfortunately, this happens even with children under one year old. Instead, parents should be aware of how important it is for a child to be constantly active. A child, like a kitten or a puppy, needs constant movement, running around, overcoming heights, and crawling. It is extremely harmful for children to sit, because in this position only the flexors work, and when children run, jump, climb on to something or climb down, the muscles work synchronously, both in flexion and extension.

Today, children are often deprived of the opportunity to actively move. On the streets, children no longer draw classics to jump, no one climbs trees, no one jumps in playgrounds. At the same time, visiting sports sections does not develop children sufficiently.

In addition, children used to run around during school breaks, but now they are bent over to "sit in the phones", which also plays a role. While modern gadgets have one plus - they are great motivation, they can help you get something out of your child, such as exercise. Of course, you can't deprive everything either, but it's worth looking for an alternative. For example, let the child play on the phone for the allowed time, but not sitting, but lying on his stomach on the floor.

Since birth

- What should parents do so that the child has a correct posture?

- You need to practice posture from an early age. When the child is very small, that is, in the first 1.5-2 months, he can be kept in the crib. But after two months, the baby needs movement. Of course, you need to constantly look after him and at the same time somehow do routine household chores. A playpen will help in solving this problem, where the child can play independently, crawl, entertain himself while the mother is busy. In this case, the cot should only be used for sleeping. It is better to get used to the arena from 1.5 months, up to six months, the child can spend part of the active hours there. The playpen should be as large as possible so that the child has room to roll over the barrel and to crawl.

Then, after six months, it is worth equipping a "children's" corner in the apartment. It is best to equip a play area on the floor by laying a carpet on the floor and spreading out toys. The purpose of this is for the child to learn to move himself in space by controlling the muscles. At the same time, of course, you need to constantly play with the child, practice on the ball, do light developmental exercises that are suitable for age and indications.

It is extremely important to develop a crawling reflex in the child, for example, to lie down next to the baby so that he climbs and learns to crawl over the adult.

But most often, parents make one mistake - they wrap the child up and put it separately, as a result we get hypodynamia, and the child must actively move his arms and legs. Problems associated with physical inactivity cannot be solved by a masseur who comes once a day.

Correctly developed children who are in constant motion are less traumatized, as they know how to group. It is important to strictly follow the safety rules, the child should only crawl on the floor, if he moves himself on the bed, then an adult should be nearby, fully controlling the baby's actions.

Talking about the fact that there are children who do not crawl, but immediately get up and start walking, are incorrect. In my opinion, such a scenario is most likely a consequence of small apartments, where the child simply had nowhere to crawl. But you can only move to an upright position and learn to walk after the child has learned to crawl. At the same time, children must learn to get up themselves, then climb and slide off the couch.

Effects

- What can an incorrectly formed posture lead to?

- Parents are afraid of such diagnoses as kyphosis and lordosis, but physiological kyphosis and mild lordosis is a normal condition that develops later. And you should not be afraid of this, but warn. The fact is that a child initially has an even spine, and in order for him to form a correct posture, strong flexors and extensors must be formed, so it is important to give a symmetrical load. And for this it is better than crawling, while nothing has been invented yet. Sometimes we even assign to rapidly growing children with rapidly growing limbs, climbing stairs. You can make a child crawl using special slides.

Parents themselves need to understand how important posture is. Because if it is formed incorrectly, it is a problem for life. Poor posture leads to dizziness and breathing problems, frequent colds, pathological reactions to the weather and headaches.

Learning while standing!

- How to organize training sessions?

- The main thing is that the child completes tasks not only while sitting, but also standing or even lying on his stomach. There are also special jobs for this.

Pathological kyphosis is formed precisely from a prolonged sitting position, it is also called the "penknife" syndrome. To avoid this, after a year it is worth buying something like a desk for the child so that he can work while standing, for example, standing up to draw, leaf through books, display the first circles and crosses. While standing or in motion, the child even learns information faster. If he is tired, let him lie on the floor and continue to study.

At the same time, a child of 4-5 years old should not be in a sitting position for more than 15 minutes.

In addition, you need to walk with your child three to four times a day, where he could run, rush, climb slides, overcome obstacles, and so on. You need to constantly talk with the child so that he can develop speech. A very useful game of children's "darts", when the child throws balls at the target with one hand, then the other. It is useful and simply to slowly climb the stairs, and not with an attached step. But the swing is meaningless - the child sits and does not expend energy. At home, you can set a bar for the periodic position of "hanging" or wall bars, you can dance. Sometimes it is necessary to come up with activities for the child, especially if he is alone in the family. When there are many children, for example, two or three, then they will find entertainment for themselves without adults and will move enough. The main thing is that everything happens under the supervision of adults.

Parents today often forget that they had greater freedom in childhood and moved more. Now, in the courtyards, no one walks all day, this causes problems with posture.

- What to do when the child begins to prepare for school and go to kindergarten?

- There, all the children already sit for 30 minutes in the classroom. Therefore, after classes, a long walk is required, where the child runs around the site, jumps on a slide, and so on - this will prevent problems that a long sitting position at a desk leads to. Of course, the child should not be allowed to sit, turning with support on the right elbow (if he is right-handed) or on the left (if the child is left-handed), while hanging his head and "spread out" on the table. This situation suggests that the child is tired and it is time for physical activity. Because the most harmful thing is to sit for two or three hours without rest and at the same time without unbending.

By the way, children who are not being trained can immediately be seen - their head is lowered, their shoulders are lowered, the shoulder blades are "pterygoid" and seem to move away from the body. But the main thing is to form a posture even before school, then there will be no problems.

Which section to choose?

- If the student is already slouching - what to do?

- Donate to sports, and to which particular section - this is generally not important. The main thing is that the section is close to the house, and the classes are conducted by an attentive coach who is not annoyed by children. Tennis is not the best choice, as there is a very one-sided load. Rhythmic gymnastics is a specific sport, training is aimed at developing the flexibility of the spine, which leads to kinks and overloads. But martial arts can help with the formation of correct posture. Any game sport is a great choice, because then you can go dancing.

You need to go to the section as often as you can. Because this load will still not be enough, and parents should work with the child every day, because not a single sports complex works by itself. You need to do at home what is more suitable for each particular family. Let the child show and repeat what he was taught in the section, or you can do gymnastics with the whole family, you can go for long walks, in winter you can skate or ski, you can do exercises on the wall bars or do push-ups every day, you can walk on your heels around the house etc. By the way, five minutes is enough for a full-fledged morning gymnastics. The main thing is for the child to enjoy the lessons, so that he likes to move, so the correct stereotype of posture will be laid.

"Don't slouch!"

- How are posture disorders in children and adolescents usually treated?

- The basis of posture correction is movement. Back braces are a retainer for children who can no longer straighten themselves, this type of treatment is prescribed even at advanced stages. Poor posture is a wrong regimen.

We must not forget that we live in a region where there is little sun, so you need to walk a lot, at least four hours a day, and take preparations with vitamins A, D and you can purified fish oil. Adequate calcium is essential for proper skeletal formation. But these moments should be regulated by the pediatrician. Parents, on the other hand, should load the child so that he gets tired and falls asleep quickly.

- What exercises can you do at home?

- Standing against a wall or jamb is effective, but more suitable for girls. Boys are better off walking around the house on their heels, playing with a punching bag, hanging, hanging and pulling up. It is important for boys to build muscle mass, because their skeleton grows very quickly. But manual therapy is not a way out of the situation, it is definitely not shown to children.

If there is a desire to find a suitable gymnastics for a child, then it is worth consulting an orthopedist, because there are no universal exercises, all people differ not only in weight and height, but even the options for the development of the spine can be very different. In addition, only a specialist can distinguish pathology from the norm, so if the child's posture is worried, contact a specialist, do not self-medicate.

According to statistics, posture disorders are detected in 60-80% of children of preschool and school age. The most common disorder is a stooped back.Slouching is excessive backward bending of the thoracic spine.

Slouching brings psychological discomfort, as it sharply spoils the appearance.

In addition, with a stooped back, the load on the vessels increases significantly, the chest is deformed and the displacement of internal organs is possible. Also, the patency of the diaphragm and lungs decreases, and this negatively affects the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, which leads to oxygen starvation of the brain, increased fatigue, slowdown and impairment of the correct development of the child.

It is possible to correct a stooped back in a child, but you cannot do without the qualified help of an orthopedist, a specialist in physiotherapy exercises and, perhaps, a psychologist.

Causes of stoop in children

Passive lifestyle

Now children from an early age begin to spend more time in a seated position, for example, sitting at a desk in front of a computer or at school at a desk. A sedentary lifestyle leads to the fact that the back muscles weaken, and the child has a stoop.

Rapid child growth

The rapid growth of a child can lead to the fact that the spine is stretched, and the back muscles do not have time to stretch after the growing spine. As a result, the muscles cease to support the back, so the child begins to slouch (the muscles lack strength).

Psychological factor

In early life, as well as in adolescence, psychological problems can become the causes of slouching. So, for example, the desire to be invisible, noticable, fear of communication with peers can lead to the fact that the child begins to slouch unconsciously. In psychology, the stoop is considered a protective embryonic pose, that is, the child subconsciously tries to go into a state of security. Also, a violation of posture in adolescents can occur due to the existing complex of tall stature or, for example, in girls because of the desire to hide fast-growing breasts during puberty.

Scoliosis

One of the earliest signs of scoliosis is slouching. To identify this disease, it is very important that parents, having noticed a change in posture, seek the advice of a specialist.

Joint hypermobility syndrome

This disease is inherited and is characterized by increased flexibility of the joints and the spinal column. From an early age in children, there is a decrease in the function of muscles that cannot cope with maintaining the spine in a physiologically correct position, which subsequently leads to the development of postural disorders in the child.

How to fix slouching in children

1. It is important to organize the child's workplace in such a way as to exclude posture curvature. To do this, you need to choose the size of the table and chair. The child should not slouch when reading and writing. In this case, the shoulders should be at the same level.

It is correct that the legs have support, the table was 2-3 cm above the elbow, the back touched the back of the chair, the distance to the table was 1.5-2 cm, and the distance from the eyes to the table was 30 cm.

If the child complains that it is uncomfortable to sit straight, the process of curvature of the spine has already begun. Explain calmly that over time, the discomfort will go away.

2. It is necessary to constantly monitor the posture of the child and remind him of it.

3. After consulting a doctor, you can purchase an orthopedic posture corrector for use at home and at home. The use of the product is especially important for students who often have an incorrect posture when sitting.

4. Find the right bed with a rigid base for your child. The length of the sleeping place should be 25 cm longer than the height of the sleeping person. The optimal thickness of an even and dense mattress is 5-6 cm, the pillow should be made in the form of a roller.

5. For the prevention and treatment of slouching in children, it is important that the schoolbag of a primary school student does not weigh more than 1-3 kg, and that of a student in grades 4-5 does not weigh more than 3.5 kg.

6. If possible, enroll the child in the pool: during swimming, all muscles are strengthened and the spine is straightened. Swimming styles such as crawl and breaststroke are most often recommended by physical therapy instructors to correct the slouch.

Attention! If swimming technology is violated, the pectoral muscles will be "pumped". At the same time, they are pulled together, which increases the stoop. If you cannot use the instructor's help, have the child swim on his back - this will strengthen the muscle frame.

7. Regular exercise will help you correct your posture. Gymnastics with a stooped back is necessary, but a set of exercises should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor, depending on the individual characteristics of the patient. For this, you can buy a children's sports complex.

8. Child yoga under the supervision of an experienced coach is another way to address the issue of correct posture. However, correct breathing is of paramount importance here; with measured, deep inhalation and exhalation, the posture becomes almost perfect.

Currently, there are practically no difficulties with how to correct stoop in children. Medicine has stepped forward in this matter. Special exercises have been developed for both prevention and correction of acquired defects.

Prepared by Mariana Chornovil

In our time, when a sedentary sedentary lifestyle is progressing, it is quite often possible to meet stooped children. But not all parents pay attention to this problem.

Nowadays, stooped children can be found more and more often.

This is a big mistake that can lead to irreparable consequences.

What if the child slouches over?

Causes of poor posture depending on age:

When should you see a doctor?

Slouching in children is a problem that cannot be ignored. Many parents do not know what to do if, for example, a child slouches at 3 years old.
A doctor's consultation is necessary when you see on the self-examination if the baby's head is tilted to the right or left. If you see that the shoulders of the child are of different heights or are lowered, there is an asymmetry of the shoulder blades and triangles of the waist and there is a pronounced one.
This is the reason for an immediate referral to a specialist.

If you have any suspicions about posture disorders, you need to urgently show the child to a specialist

The first trip may be to a family doctor, who will conduct an examination, assess the degree of impaired posture and, if necessary, send you and your child to an orthopedic surgeon.

The orthopedic surgeon, in turn, will collect objective data and research results and prescribe the optimal treatment for your individual case.

When can you cope on your own?

If you see a slouch in a 7-year-old child or at any other age, then do a little experiment. Ask him to stand near a flat wall, with his back to it, or lie on a hard floor.
It is necessary that the crown, shoulder blades, buttocks and heels touch a flat surface at the same time.

If in this position the curvature disappears and it is not difficult for the child to maintain this position, then this suggests that the problem can be easily corrected on its own.

What to do before school?

In order not to solve in the future the problem of how to deal with the stoop in a child, it is worth taking care of its prevention before school and during study.
To do this, you can do the following:

Home treatment options

The most effective home remedy for slouching your child is to do specific exercises every day.
Ask the child to stand with his back against a flat wall for 15-20 minutes so that his shoulders and spinal column are straightened.
A gymnastic bridge exercise on the floor is very effective.
Also very effective exercises for stooping in children are:

• carrying a load on the chest;
• tilting the head back in a sitting position on the floor (neck muscles are strengthened);
• strong spreading of the arms back, clutching them in the lock behind the back (strengthening the shoulder muscles);
• exercise cat (development of back muscles);
• carrying a load on the head;
• hand presses from the floor while lying on your back;
• spreading hands in a prone position.

This simple, but very effective gymnastics for a child will get rid of the stoop at home.

You can find more exercises in the video:

What will the doctor suggest?

How to fix a slouch in a teenager?
When you go to a doctor, you can hear the following options for correcting posture disorders:

• Exercise therapy. It is better to perform it in a medical facility with a specialist. Competent exercise therapy for stooping in children is a very effective method;
• Swimming. Should be used in conjunction with any other treatment. Preference should be given to such a style as breaststroke;
• Massage. Massage with a stoop in a child is also an auxiliary method, it is best to combine it with gymnastics. The specialist's movements should be relaxing and light, which will improve blood circulation;
• Corset. When a child begins to grow actively, a deformation may occur in the development of the shoulder girdle.
  

  If the first signs of this deformity appear, then you should immediately take measures to prevent progression.

  In this case, a corset for the back from stooping in children is suitable;

• Manual therapy. It is appropriate when there is pain or signs of displacement of the vertebrae. The procedure should be carried out only by a competent and experienced specialist.

Forecasts

Every parent deciding how to treat slouching in children should be aware of the possible prognosis. In most cases, conservative methods of treatment are sufficient, and exercise therapy is especially effective.

Exercise therapy is a very effective method for correcting stoop.

Long-term medical supervision is not required. In advanced cases, surgery, rehabilitation and constant medical supervision are required.

Therefore, it is very important to monitor the child's posture and, at the first sign of a problem, do not hesitate and take all the necessary measures.

It is better to carry out prevention and vigilant control than then grab your head and not know how to fix the stoop in children.

Correct posture is a guarantee of not only beauty, but also health. However, today more and more often you can meet stooped people. Their muscles are constantly in a relaxed state, which makes it impossible to keep their back straight. Unfortunately, when faced with this problem, people do not always understand how to get rid of the stoop.

Reasons for slouching

There are many reasons for poor posture. Perhaps congenital pathology is to blame, and in this case, only surgical intervention will help. However, most often a person is not born with a stoop, but acquires this defect in the process of life.

Slouch

For example, the causes of poor posture can be hiding in a sedentary lifestyle. The development of modern technology has led to the fact that computers have actually enslaved us. Both children and adults spend a lot of time in front of the monitor every day. This negatively affects the condition of the back muscles. Slouching in a child can also be caused by the fact that he does not sit properly at his desk.

The correct mattress is essential for good posture. It is best to get a special orthopedic mattress. It will keep your back in the right position even while you sleep.

For the prevention and treatment of JOINT DISEASES, our regular reader uses the increasingly popular method of NON-SURGICAL treatment recommended by leading German and Israeli orthopedists. Having carefully reviewed it, we decided to offer it to your attention.

Also, the reasons for stooping include some diseases of the legs, for example, flat feet, osteochondrosis.

Knowing the true cause makes it much easier to figure out how to fix a slouch. There are many ways to deal with this ailment at home.

Slouching in children and adolescents

The sooner you start treating the slouch, the easier it will be to get rid of it. In childhood and adolescence, when the body is just forming, you can very quickly achieve the correct posture. The main thing is to find the problem in time.

Slouching in a child

How to fix a stoop in a child if the baby often walks hunched over? This can be helped by one method that strengthens the muscles of the back without overloading them. It is recommended that you wear your child's clothes backwards several times a week. A jacket or shirt dressed in this way will irritate the baby and he will want to straighten his back so that the collar does not get in the way. This method is considered very gentle and therefore ideal for children.

When it comes to slouching a teenager, you can turn to another method. The back will become much smoother by taking the pillow away from your child for a while. Perhaps at first it will not seem very comfortable, but soon the absence of a pillow will become habitual. The first results from this sleep practice may appear within a few months.

Anti Slouching for Adults

Getting rid of bad posture in adulthood is not easy, but it is also possible. You can achieve some results only if you follow all the recommendations and do it daily, and not from time to time.

Beautiful posture

There are two main methods for treating slouching: training and aids to keep your back muscles in the correct position. We are talking about corsets and all kinds of supporting belts. Many people ask the question, is it possible to use both at the same time? It is believed that a corset can increase the effectiveness of therapeutic exercises, but with a strong stoop, you should not combine the two methods.

If we talk about each of the methods separately, it is worth starting with corsets and other supporting structures. Medical braces can be worn for hours and will really improve your posture. Belts do not have a therapeutic effect, but only create the appearance of a flat back. Once you take it off, your perfect posture will disappear again.

The second method is exercise. This is therapeutic gymnastics and various sports. Weakened muscles cannot be toned without training. However, heavy loads are often contraindicated. In this case, swimming is ideal.

In order to determine how to correct the stoop in an adult, you need to find out about all possible contraindications. Otherwise, it is very easy to overload the back muscles, which will lead to negative results.

Massage is needed after training. This pleasant procedure will reduce or avoid painful sensations in the back and neck area. It is better to entrust her to a professional massage therapist. It will help you get a healthy, straightened spine.

If slouching has been your companion for a long time, it is best to see your doctor. Before you start training, clarify how to treat a slouch in your particular case: what you can and what you should not. If correcting slouching has resulted in severe back, lower back or neck pain, stop exercising immediately and see a doctor. Remember not to joke with your back.

In adulthood, building correct posture requires daily work. It's imperative that you don't just exercise or get a corset. It is necessary to comprehensively strengthen the muscles of the back, lower back and neck.

Exercises for correct posture

The exercises to get rid of your slouch at home are very simple. With their help, children and adults will be able to overcome the stoop very quickly.

conclusions

There is no one-size-fits-all way to get a beautiful posture. In order to understand how to get rid of a stoop, you need to find out the real cause of the disease. In each case, you can choose the most appropriate way to solve the problem.

It is important to understand that treating slouching in adulthood is significantly different from correcting posture in children and adolescents. When choosing a method for yourself, pay attention to the causes of incorrect posture and check out the possible contraindications. If simple tips on how to straighten your back did not help you, it makes sense to seek help from a specialist. He will not only talk about the permissible norm of physical activity, but also prescribe a certain set of exercises.

If you do not know how to remove the slouch from your toddler, give preference to gentle methods. They will help strengthen the muscles, and will not put a lot of stress on the child's spine.

Remember that correct posture is, first of all, an indicator of health. When thinking about how to fix a slouch, it is impossible to achieve the desired result. The main thing in this business is constant training and a moderate load on the back muscles.

Slouching in a child must be identified in time and consulted with an orthopedic surgeon. If this is not done, it can lead to irreversible curvature of the spine, which is not only ugly, but also not in the best way reflected on health.

How posture is curved

In order to notice the stoop in a child in time, you need to know how the back can be bent. In children of preschool and especially school age, lordosis is most often encountered - excessive inclination of the spine forward, kyphosis - deviation backward, flat back - the child protrudes the abdomen, scoliosis - lateral curvature of the spine. Moreover, a round-concave posture is also possible, in which both the lower back and the upper back are curved, only in different directions - the child has a sunken chest, protruding belly and buttocks, and a shortened waist.

Consequences of the stoop

Slouching brings psychological discomfort, as it sharply spoils the appearance. In addition, it increases the load on the vessels, deforms the chest and can lead to displacement of internal organs and changes in intrathoracic pressure. Slouching reduces the permeability of the diaphragm and lungs, and this negatively affects the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, leads to oxygen starvation of the brain, increased fatigue, slowdown and impairment of the correct development of the child.

Preventing slouching

It is not at all difficult to make sure that the child never slouches. For this you need:

• choose a bed with a rigid plywood base 20-25 cm longer than the child's height;
• put a mattress 5-6 cm thick and a roller pillow on the bed;
• make sure that when the child is sitting at the table, his legs are supported, the table is 2-3 cm above the elbow, the back touches the back of the chair, and the distance to the table is 1.5-2 cm. distance of 30 cm;
• do not forget that a schoolbag should not weigh more than 1-3 kg for a primary school student and no more than 3.5 kg for a student of the 4th-5th grade.

How to fix a slouch

Until the deformity of the spine has occurred, it is possible to correct the stoop, although it is not easy, and the help of an orthopedist, as well as a specialist in physiotherapy exercises, is indispensable here.

It is necessary to constantly monitor the posture of the child and remind him of it. There is such an electronic device, which is called "posture master". It is attached to the back and, as soon as the child slouches, reminds him of the correct posture with a small vibration signal. The cost of the device is 2000 rubles.

If possible, enroll the child in the pool: during swimming, all muscles are strengthened and the spine is straightened.

Of course, regular exercise will help correct your posture, because weak back muscles are the cause of stoop. Gymnastics is necessary for such a child, but what it will be, the doctor must decide, because it depends on the individual characteristics of the child.

Expert: Nikolay Svetov, orthopedist-traumatologist
Evgeny Lifshits