Good posture crucial in maintaining spinal health

Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare / Korean Academy of Medical Sciences

By Lee Sung-hun

As parents, most of us fret over pretty much everything about our children. Their postures are no exception to our concerns.

Especially nowadays when our teenagers spend vast amounts of time in front of a desk sitting over a book, and if away from the desk, when they have a smartphone or a tablet in their hands, many students unfortunately end up with bad posture.

Considering that a correct posture is directly related with the overall well-being of a person, and affects the appearance and even growth itself, a child’s posture can become quite a major concern for parents.

Most often, when parents bring their children to the Oriental clinic regarding the posture issues, it is for one of three cases; straight-neck posture where the head is protruded forward, kyphosis where the upper back becomes rounded (commonly known as a round back), and scoliosis where the spine is bent sideways.

When viewed from the side, a normal spine takes a slight s-shape.

The neck has a small forward concaving c-shape, and the back has a backward concaving c-shape to comprise the overall s-shape of the spine.

However, if the head is bent forward for extended periods of time like when we view the screens on our smartphones and tablets, the natural curvature can become replaced, ending up with a straight neck and a very pronounced c-curve in the upper back.

The straight neck and a round back postures usually go hand-in-hand, and they are easily recognizable even with the naked eye.

You can also touch the back of the neck (the cervical vertebrae) for the natural cervical curvature.

If you feel that it is straight, or if you feel a bump at the bottom of the cervical vertebrae (where the shoulder begins), you are likely to have posture issues.

With children, due to their youth, they are not likely to complain of aches and pain, but if the wrong posture is maintained for long, they can cause head, neck, and shoulder pains, as well as tension headaches.

Our heads weigh about the same as a bowling ball with the average weight being about 10-14 lbs (4.5-6.3 kilograms) for an adult.

While holding up a bowling ball with the arm upright beneath the ball would strain the arm the least, holding it up at an angle can be quite difficult.

The same goes for our head. It is said that for every centimeter the head protrudes forward, there is an added stress equaling about 1.8 kilograms of weight.

This added load puts strain on the neck and the shoulders ending in muscular tension.

While a straight-neck posture effect on the neck, shoulders, and upper back are quite obvious, the fact is that it can affect the overall spine, bringing about changes in the waist and pelvis.

If left alone, the added strain can make the anterior tilt of the pelvis and the forward curvature of the lumbar vertebrae become more pronounced, that can result in lumbar pain.

A round back and extended lumbar vertebrae means that there is an overall pressure on the spine, making the person shorter.

While the straight neck and the round back is the result of front-to-back transformation of the spine, scoliosis is the result of a sideways transformation.

When viewed from the front or the back, the spine should appear as a straight horizontal line.

With scoliosis patients, however, the spine cannot maintain the straight line, but is bent sideways.

Externally, the patient appears to have a permanent tilt of the body, or uneven shoulders or pelvis.

You can conduct a simple self-diagnosis by bending forward from a straight standing-up position.

If you notice that one side of the back protrudes, scoliosis can be suspected.

According to the statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 46.5 percent of scoliosis patients in the past five years have been teenagers.

When considering that it was below 20 percent just 10 years ago, it is a significant increase.

While most scoliosis cases are diagnosed as idiopathic, meaning no known cause, one can still suspect that incorrect posture has had a significant affect.

Idiopathic scoliosis generally occurs during the adolescent years.

The major concern for scoliosis is that it can progress along with the physical growth of the patient, meaning that scoliosis can become more severe as the patient goes through growth spurts ― one of the main reasons for appropriate treatment for adolescent scoliosis.

As scoliosis interferes with growth by extending the spine sideways rather than up, young patients who are affected by it can be psychologically affected as the adolescent years are when we can be sensitive about our appearances.

Unless the degree of curvature of the spine is severe, scoliosis does not necessarily have any associated pain for the patient, making it harder to diagnose ― only found out when the scoliosis has progressed.

Scoliosis with the spinal curvature larger than 50 degrees will require surgery to correct it, making it vital for early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

In Oriental medicine, Chuna-chiropractic, acupuncture, cupping and hanyak treatments are administered to adjust the bent spine and relieve the tension in the surrounding muscles, with the overall aim of maintaining the correct posture.

Personalized hanyak treatment can act as a preventive measure as well as treatment strengthening the weak muscles and tendons.

Any spinal issues require continued treatment and monitoring.

While early diagnosis and proper treatment are vital, parents can help their children keep their spine healthy by ensuring they maintain a correct posture and by strengthening muscles with regular exercise.

Without any immediate pain, adolescent patients are unlikely to complain to their parents, and accordingly, parents are likely to dismiss the bad posture as unimportant.

However, as a healthy back can play a critical role in the physical growth and mental health of children, you are always recommended to seek professional help at your local Oriental clinic.