In an article in a recent edition of the Your Healthy Living magazine, Arif, explains what Chiropractic Craniopathy is, what it does, and what happens during a treatment.
As a Fellow of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association and a member of the Royal College of Chiropractors Paediatric Faculty, Arif, has a large practice treating many babies, children and expectant mothers, many who travel many miles to receive his specialized experience, knowledge and care.
As a family chiropractic clinic, we are immensely proud of our reputation for providing chiropractic treatment to children. With the knowledge that’s available now, our children have a real chance of living their entire lives without the burden of back pain; that’s why it’s so important for good habits to start early.
Arif, one of our leading chiropractors at our Southend clinic, is a Fellow of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association and has been a Certified Chiropractic Paediatric Practitioner for fourteen years.He has created the following top tips on encouraging a major healthy habit in children – developing and maintaining good posture:
Demonstrating good posture is the best way to encourage your children to do the same. Be mindful about how you’re sitting and standing – especially in front of your little ones.
Instead of simply telling your child to “sit up straight” when they’re slouching, give them motivating reasons to improve their posture. Tell your child that they look more grown up or taller when they sit up straight, for example. This praise will help your child to want to engage in such positive behaviour.
Young children learn incredibly well through visuals, so try using images to teach your child about good posture. Other creative outlets such as making up a song or putting on a short play can also be really effective in helping your child to develop healthy posture habits.
There are many games you can play with your child to encourage good posture. The more creative you are the more fun your child will have and the more likely they will be to maintain new positive habits.
“My Fair Lady” is a timeless classic where your child has to walk across the room carrying a book on their head without it falling off. By playing this game, your child will learn how to position their head and neck in the correct way for good posture. Why not join in with the fun and set up a points system where the player who carries the book on their head for the longest amount of time wins a small prize? Your child will think you’re great fun and you’ll probably improve your own posture in the process!
Take your children for bike rides regularly. Sitting and balancing on a bike can result in improved posture.
Poor posture is a major cause of back pain. Don’t let your children pick up the bad habits of our generation. By working together, we can give them the chance of reaping the benefits of a lifelong healthy spine.
As a Certified Chiropractic Paediatric Practitioner, Arif, one of our experienced team of Southend chiropractors, regularly treats children and teenagers that are suffering from back conditions. While the causes of adult back pain significantly vary, back pain in children is often the result of heavy backpacks being worn incorrectly. And it’s ironic really; as backpacks worn the correct way are actually much safer than other types of bags.
Most backpacks include many compartments that help children carry their books and papers to school and back. Unlike shoulder bags, backpacks allow the strongest muscles in the body (the back and abdominal muscles) to support the weight that they’re carrying around. Children who wear their backpacks correctly allow the weight to be evenly distributed across their body; making neck and shoulder injuries far less likely.
But according to Arif, a leading chiropractor in Southend, children are risking strained muscles and joints if their backpacks are too heavy (more than 15% of their body weight) or they are carrying them in the wrong way.
So what is the wrong way to carry a back pack and is your child doing it?
If your child’s backpack is too heavy, the force of the weight will start to pull your child backwards. To compensate, your child is likely to bend forwards at the hips or arch their back. As a result, their spine will start to unnaturally compress, which can cause back, neck and shoulder pain.
If your child wears their backpack on one shoulder (which many children do), they may start to lean to one side to offset the additional weight. Again this can cause both upper and lower back pain as well as strain on the neck and shoulders.
Arif also warns that backpacks with tight, narrow straps may dig into the shoulders and have a negative impact on circulation and nerves. This can contribute to numbness, tingling and weakness in the hands and arms.
So the next time your child head off to school, make sure you’ve checked the following beforehand:
Small changes can make a big difference to your child’s spinal health.
To book an appointment with our Arif or another member of our award winning team of chiropractors, contact Cliffs Chiropractor Southend on 01702 430430.
