When we think about the health of our kids, we tend to think of things like making sure they eat a balanced diet, avoid getting sick, get enough exercise and stay relatively stress-free and happy. And while these things are vital to their well-being, there’s another component to the health of growing children that sometimes gets overlooked—the health of their spines.
The spine is incredibly important because it houses the spinal cord, which transports all neuronal signals from the brain to the rest of the body. In a child, this system is particularly delicate, but it is also very responsive to positive changes. As children grow, their nervous systems work hard to adapt to changes in their lifestyle.
A healthy spine for your child means a healthy immune system, increased brain function and attentiveness, better coordination of muscles for activities and a healthier life that will carry into adulthood. Here’s a checklist for ensuring your child’s spine stays healthy.
Check their posture: In the age of texting and video games, checking posture has never been more important for kids. An optimal posture is upright, with the head over the shoulders and no abnormal humps in the back. An abnormal posture doesn’t only look unappealing, it also can do damage to the spinal cord over time, causing a variety of symptoms and conditions. Remember, any abnormal shape the posture takes is also an abnormal shape, or stretching, of the spinal cord. One rule of thumb is that any posture held for 20 minutes or longer will become their permanent posture, so remind them to sit up straight.
Backpack check: We all know how bad heavy backpacks can be on growing children’s spines, so here’s a quick overview of what to look for with your child’s backpack to protect their spine and nervous system. Check that the backpack hangs no more than 4 inches below their waistline and that it weighs less than 10 percent of your child’s body weight. Also make sure the straps are padded and adjustable to fit their body.
Have their spines checked: This is important to assess proper alignment of the spine and nervous system flow. Misalignments in the spine can happen from regular tumbles and falls, minor sports injuries or poor posture. The good news is that in children, these are easily assessed and fixed. Chiropractors evaluate the spine and nervous system and can perform gentle pediatric adjustments to correct these misalignments.
Get enough ZZZs: Adequate sleep is important for your child’s health in so many ways, and one of the ways is nervous system function. Nerves can become damaged from minor injuries like falls and poor posture, but they can regenerate. This is done primarily while sleeping. So make sure your child gets roughly 10 hours of sleep per night.
Stop all the sitting: We can’t avoid the amount of time our kids spend sitting in school, but children are designed to be active and upright. Sitting may not seem like such a bad thing, but it causes more increased pressure on the spine than any other position, and the problem is especially evident in children. So keep them moving and active, and consider standing-style desks for homework or video games.
Dr. Nona Djavid is a Newport Beach chiropractor wellness coach, and founder and head chiropractor at the Wellness Choice Center.
