During the pandemic, online classes are an everyday norm among children and it requires them to sit still for a long duration of time. Sometimes, they tend to sit in the wrong posture, which will lead to neck and back pain.
Parents need to pay extra attention to this since it involves spinal health and it is as major as other parts of the body.
In this episode, we bring you a chiropractic doctor, DC Jean Sean Se from Chirozone Family Chiropractic to help parents find out the best approach to maintain their children’s spinal health.
Q1: How important is spinal health and what are the implications if parents fail to maintain their children’s spinal health?
DC Jean: Nowadays, we are seeing a lot of younger patients with neck pain, back pain, or even slipped discs. It is very important since the nerves in the spine practically control everything in our body, such as your arms, hands, legs and internal organs as well.
It is essential to educate kids that they need to maintain the correct posture and the right way to take care of their spine. Similarly, it is like asking your kids to brush their teeth twice a day to ensure proper dental hygiene.
Other than that, toddlers nowadays are getting neck pain and back pain because of the sedentary lifestyle and the increased use of phones and iPads. If they fail to maintain their children’s spinal health at a younger age, they may even get persistent neck pain or back pain throughout their life.
Q2: What can parents do to deal with the neck and back pain in their children; especially when they are occupied with online classes?
#1 Make Sure Devices Are At Eye Level
DC Jean: Make sure your laptop or the iPad is at eye level so that you are not always straining your neck by looking down all the time. Make sure you don’t slouch in chairs as well.
Perhaps parents themselves have to set a good example as well. A lot of parents, slouch in chairs and they are not using the laptop with a good posture as well. So, it is difficult to get your kids to maintain a good posture while you are not doing it as well.
#2 Use An Ice Pack To Soothe The Pain
DC Jean: If the pain persists, you can use an ice pack on the neck or on the back, to reduce the pain. Do it for about 15-20 minutes and you can try it 2-3 times every day.
If the pain persists after you have used the ice pack on your neck or back, make sure to get your spine checked by a certified paediatric chiropractor to prevent further injuries.
Q3: Could you explain what is a ‘good posture’? Maybe you can demonstrate the correct position one should practice when it comes to online learning?
DC Jean: You can use a laptop stand to increase the height of your laptop so that the screen is at your eye level. You don’t have to keep looking down and strain your neck.
Additionally, you can opt for an external keyboard and mouse, so that you do not have to keep reaching forward for the keyboard while you type.
You have to do this for your kids as well; for their online learning classes so that they don’t injure their neck and back.
Q4: Can neck or back pain cause serious health problems like scoliosis or anything else?
DC Jean: Usually neck or back pain can cause what we call functional scoliosis, which means that scoliosis, the sideways curvature of the spine, is not due to any structural spinal deformity. This kind of scoliosis is more likely to be corrected with chiropractic adjustments and rehab exercises.
Many people are getting functional scoliosis as they are compensating for the neck pain and back pain. That is why they are getting muscle imbalances because they often tilt to one side while they are sitting or walking, caused by the pain.
In more severe cases, slipped disc or nerve impingement can happen if the neck pain or back pain persists.
Q5: When to see a healthcare provider?
DC Jean: If your kids start to complain about discomfort, pain, or headaches a few times, please don’t ignore them.
If you notice their posture is getting worse like they are slouching a lot, they are hunching a lot, and one of the shoulders is higher than the other one, and sometimes you may notice their attention span or focus is getting shorter, this can be a sign of spinal misalignment and pain.
For younger kids, they may not understand their body and pain as well; that’s why as parents, you always have to look out for these subtle signs.
Make sure you get their spine checked by a certified chiropractor so that you can get proper advice and treatment as early as possible to prevent further deterioration of the condition.
Q6: How young can a baby or child be to actually start using this treatment?
We are actually seeing babies around 1-2 months old as well or even toddlers around 3-4 years old.
It is easier to raise stronger kids than to repair broken adults. That is why we need to teach our kids to use the correct way to use their laptops and phones; so that they don’t injure themselves while using these electronic devices.
You can’t avoid using all these technologies as they have become a necessity for all of us, so, you just need to use them in the right way.
Be sure to bring your kids for regular chiropractic checkups with our paediatric chiropractor to make sure their spine is in proper alignment.
If there is any problem with their spine such as scoliosis, we can diagnose them earlier and give them proper treatment as well.
So, if you do notice your kids experiencing any kinds of aches or pains, make sure to get it checked and treated as soon as possible to prevent the condition from getting worse.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
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