How Technology affects Posture

Unfortunately, poor posture in young kids is becoming an everyday problem.

Having poor posture doesn’t just mean we look slumped, it can have quite a few negative affects on our health. Poor posture can lead to stiffness, tight muscles, fatigue, poor sleep, visual or emotional difficulties and inefficient breathing. One of the key things that causes this is technology. 

When we are born, our spine only has one curve. It’s once we start to look up at things and start crawling that the muscles in the back of our neck begin to strengthen and create the neck curve.

Nowadays with the introduction of phones and devices from a very young age, kids are spending prolonged periods looking down. They are often sitting in a stooped posture, whether looking at their phone or working on laptops. This can have a big impact on their spinal health. 

Not only is this bad for their neck curve, it also has an impact on their mid- back curve and it can lead to muscle tension and tightness in their low back. These imbalances add up over time and create compensations in our spine from a young age. Generally young people don’t experience pain and discomfort at the time, but it will likely cause problems for them later in life. 

Some handy tips!

If you are scrolling on your phone, hold your phone a little higher so you aren’t looking down. You can do this by propping your elbows on a pillow or bag. If you are working at a laptop, make sure you are using a laptop stand or books to prop it up a bit higher, and use a portable keyboard. You can get these stands for super cheap online and they save your child’s neck in the long run!

If you have any questions or you need some more advice, have a chat with your chiropractor.