17 May Good Posture Builds Your Child’s Health and Confidence
All parents want their children to get a healthy start in life, physically and emotionally. With all that goes on in a child’s life, one thing parents may not think much about is their child’s posture.
But good posture affects the whole body, and studies have even shown it can affect self-esteem. Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic helps the whole family achieve spinal alignment that will positively influence their health for years to come.
Why is Posture So Important?
For children and adults, good posture aligns spinal bones and joints and keeps back muscles working effectively. When your spine is aligned in correct posture, you sleep and breathe better, enjoying better brain and hormone function.
Bad posture is especially harmful to children, with an increased risk of causing the spine to grow abnormally. This can strain joints and muscles, leading to backaches, fatigue, and future problems such as arthritis.
Causes of poor posture in a child include having weak back muscles, carrying a heavy backpack, sleeping on a poor-quality mattress, being overweight, and hunching over when sitting.
Children’s posture is at risk more now than ever before, as so many have been learning remotely from home, spending hours sitting in front of computers instead of going to in-person classes.
Self-Esteem Benefits of Good Posture
Posture can even affect your child’s self-confidence. Studies show that standing straight and tall may help kids feel better about themselves and influence their interactions with other people.
Last year, researchers studied groups of fourth graders to learn how posture changes may affect children’s confidence. They divided children into two groups, instructing them to hold specific positions for one minute each. One group was shown how to do “power poses,” such as standing tall with arms out in a confident position. The other group took more closed positions, with arms drawn inward and heads down.
Afterward, the children engaged in psychological testing to gauge their emotional state. The research found that those who had held the open power poses expressed better self-esteem and mood, as well as more positive feelings about school.
Improving Your Child’s Posture Includes Chiropractic Care
Your chiropractor plays a vital role in your child’s spinal health.
Dr. Ring provides gentle, specially-modified spinal adjustments and other therapies for children that ensure their posture is straight and their spines have the alignment needed to grow properly. These treatments increase children’s mobility, improve spatial function and balance, and help their nervous system to operate optimally.
You can also help your child improvep their posture at home with simple practices such as:
- Taking breaks from the computer to move around
- When sitting, scooting all the way back in the chair, keeping shoulders back
- Standing straight with their shoulders back and chin up
- Getting lots of physical exercise to strengthen back muscles
Great posture is a gift you can give your child to set them on a lifelong path to their best physical and emotional well-being.
Make a Complimentary Appointment at our Broken Arrow Office
To improve your family’s posture and spinal health, call Eastern Oklahoma Chiropractic at 918-940-4630 today.