Physical therapy exercises for children with poor posture are the most effective method of preventing and correcting spinal curvatures. Modern preschoolers and primary schoolchildren spend too much time in front of TV screens, in school lessons and doing homework. But not only the beauty and slimness of the figure, but also the health of many internal organs depends on general physical development.
With accelerated skeletal growth (at about 7 years of age), muscle mass increases slightly. Children at this age stretch out and appear taller and slimmer. But insufficient muscle development leads to the fact that the fragile spine, which does not have muscular support, becomes vulnerable to the formation of bends that are unusual for normal physiology.
It is customary to distinguish 2 types of violations:
As a result, the child’s volume of respiratory movements decreases, the functioning of the digestive tract and cardiovascular system is disrupted, and myopia often develops.
To prevent postural defects from occurring, the spine needs a powerful muscle corset. This is the name given to the muscles surrounding the spinal column: they support the flexible bone organ in an upright position, return the vertebrae to a physiological state after work (bending, lifting weights, etc.), and play a shock-absorbing role when moving, jumping, running. With undeveloped back muscles in an adult, many diseases associated with the displacement of the vertebrae occur.
To build strong muscles that will keep the spine in the correct position, posture exercises have been developed: they are available to children aged 5–7 years.
If a posture disorder has already formed at this age, it can be corrected with the help of special, therapeutic exercises. They are aimed at strengthening the muscles in the problem area and the overall development of the muscle corset.
Preschoolers do not have access to targeted training. The child may simply not understand why he needs to do certain movements when he just wants to run and play. Therefore, children's gymnastics is carried out in a playful way.
Exercises that can be performed by a child 6–7 years old:
A set of exercise therapy exercises for poor posture can be performed with a child for preventive purposes until scoliosis is formed. They are simple and available at home. You can supplement them with movements with a gymnastic stick:
At the end of the lesson, walk at a calm pace for 30 seconds. At the same time, posture must be maintained, to which the parent draws the child’s attention.
In first-graders, disorders are most often first identified during a medical examination at school. They are a consequence of insufficient attention to the development of the child before school. But your posture can still be corrected by doing daily exercises at home. Daily morning exercises can also contain elements of exercise therapy.
It is already possible for children to take and maintain a control pose: go to the wall and lean on it with their heels, shins, buttocks, shoulder blades and the back of their head. Do not raise your shoulders. During the warm-up (walking, as indicated above), it is important to ensure compliance with the control pose.
After warming up, a first-grader can perform simple therapeutic physical exercises with a ball, a gymnastic stick, or without equipment. He is not able to independently monitor the correct execution and posture, so the presence of an older family member is required who can control the student and correct his mistakes.
Physical therapy to correct posture may include the following exercises:
In addition to exercises aimed at developing the back muscles, primary schoolchildren should perform squats at least 10–15 times per lesson. They can be performed without a projectile by stretching your arms forward while bending your legs. If there is a stick, it is either held in front or placed behind the back at shoulder level. The latter option helps control posture on the part of the child himself.
In addition to performing exercise therapy complexes, it is necessary to provide the child with maximum physical activity. This could be hiking or cycling, skiing and skating, or outdoor games.
Posture plays an important role in a person’s life; he should be slim, fit, with his head held high, his shoulders back, his gait light and relaxed. Poor posture not only spoils the appearance, it can lead to serious problems - displacement of internal organs, as a result of which their function is disrupted, and a large number of different diseases develop. Such problems are especially noticeable in age.
It is important to constantly monitor your posture; there are many different methods of treatment, one of the best is physical therapy. It is best not to risk performing the exercises on your own; it is best if a specialist helps you with this.
You must take care of the natural correct position of the body:
1. Turn your back to the wall, press firmly with your heels, shoulder blades, back of your head, buttocks, it is important to watch your head, you need to keep it straight.
2. You need to carefully move away from the wall. You should always maintain this position, the exercise is performed several times, this way you can adapt your body, your posture will always be correct.
It is always important to watch your back when you work while sitting. In this situation, everything will depend on the furniture, because you need to carefully choose:
1. The seat must have a depth of at least 37 cm.
2. You must adhere to proportions. A person with a height of 180 cm must have a table whose height is not less than 80 cm, a chair must be no less than 50 cm.
3. Place the chair so that the seat extends slightly under the work surface.
4. While sitting, it is necessary to perform a set of exercises for posture every hour. Constantly monitor how you sit at the table: to do this, you need to hold your torso straight, tilt your head slightly, lean on the back of the chair, and bend your legs at the knee joints.
One of the common reasons is the constant load on the back, because of this, the intervertebral discs are damaged, all this leads to the fact that the shoulder girdle and pelvis become asymmetrical. To prevent problems, it is recommended to choose a backpack for a child and a backpack for an adult. If the situation is hopeless, you need to constantly change hands when carrying weights.
Please note that in order to avoid problems with posture, you need to have a strong torso and a muscular system of the neck, which will constantly help a person keep his body upright. If this is not done, the muscles will quickly get tired, the person will have problems with posture, and a stoop will appear.
In addition to forming a habit - correct posture, the muscular system must always be maintained normally, so strength will develop in them. To do this, you need to perform a set of exercises for the neck, abdomen, and back every day.
Physical therapy exercises are performed at least 3 times a week; if you want your posture to be in the correct position, the exercises should be performed every day. Pay attention to sports such as brisk walking, skiing, swimming, running. If your posture is poor, it is advisable to sign up for swimming; when a person is in the water, he has less load on his spine, he can straighten up without any problems, and the intervertebral discs are restored.
1. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, inhale - lean forward, reach your fingers to the floor, then exhale. Then straighten your back and take a deep breath.
2. Position - feet shoulder-width apart, hands should be on the back of the head, head, elbows back, chest bent. Perform circular movements. Then inhale and exhale slowly. The exercises are performed no less than 7 times in different directions.
3. If your posture is poor, it is effective to perform an exercise - rotating your head - first to the right side, then to the left. It is also advised to pay attention to head tilts in different directions.
4. Kneel down and place your hands on the floor. Then make a deflection in the chest, the head rises up, the gaze is directed to the ceiling.
5. Lie on your stomach, firmly fasten your feet, extend your arms, and take a small bag of sand in them. Bend a little and lift the load, then exhale.
6. Sit on the floor, lean on your hands, then inhale. At the same time, the arms and legs rise. Then exhale and relax.
7. Palms are placed on the forehead. The head drops, the breath is held, and you must constantly overcome the resistance of your hands. Perform the exercise about 4 times, rest for no more than 5 seconds.
8. Stand with your feet at shoulder level and slowly bend forward. Then relax your hands and shake them well, remember to breathe.
9. Lie on your back, legs, arms spread to the side, muscles well relaxed. Take deep breaths and exhales.
10. With the help of such a complex, you can significantly improve your posture. It is performed in the morning after you drink 200 ml of juice or tea with lemon, or in the evening 2 hours after a meal or 1 hour before you go to bed.
Often, many doctors advise wearing special correctors - a bandage, a corset, this is wrong, because because of them the muscular system of the back relaxes even more and begins to atrophy. A bandage is often used for a hernia in order to relieve tension from the back; it cannot be used if there is a curvature of the spine.
The best way to correct this is with a leg trainer. It is easy to exercise on, it helps maintain the body in the correct position, strengthens muscles, and shapes posture.
So, if you undergo a course of therapy for poor posture on time, you will not have a problem in the future. If the disease is advanced, you will no longer be able to improve the condition of the spinal muscles and ligaments; the spine will ossify; in this situation, surgery will be necessary. Also remember that poor posture always leads to serious pathologies in the internal organs; blood circulation in them is disrupted and they are constantly compressed.
Posture is the habitual position of the body of a casually standing person . Posture depends on the degree of development of the muscular system, the angle of the pelvis, the position and shape of the spine (physiological curves).
Posture disorders occur in children at an early age: in nursery – in 2.1%; at 4 years old - in 15-17% of children; at 7 years old - every third child. At school age, the percentage of children with poor posture continues to grow. So, according to D.A. Ivanova et al., 67% of schoolchildren have posture disorders.
There are four physiological curves of the spine in the sagittal plane: two are convex anteriorly - these are cervical and lumbar lordosis ; two are convexly facing posteriorly - these are thoracic and sacrococcygeal kyphosis . Thanks to physiological curves, the spinal column performs spring and protective functions of the spinal cord, brain, internal organs, and increases the stability and mobility of the spine.
A newborn child has only sacrococcygeal kyphosis , which formed during intrauterine development. The beginning of the formation of physiological curves of the spine dates back to infancy.
By 3 months of life, the child develops cervical lordosis - under the influence of the work of the muscles of the back and neck while raising the head from a prone position and maintaining this position.
thoracic kyphosis begins to form - with the development of the ability to independently move from a lying position to a sitting position and maintain a sitting position for a long time.
By 9-10 months, lumbar lordosis - under the action of the muscles that ensure the vertical position of the body during standing and walking.
The severity of the physiological curves of the spine also depends on the angle of the pelvis. As the angle of inclination increases, the spinal column, motionlessly articulated with the pelvis, tilts forward; At the same time, lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis of the spine increase, which compensate for the violation of the vertical position of the body. As the angle of inclination of the pelvis decreases, the physiological curves of the spine are correspondingly flattened.
The child’s posture, from the standpoint of physiological patterns, is a dynamic stereotype and at an early age is unstable, easily changing under the influence of positive or negative factors. Heterochronic development of the bone, ligamentous, joint apparatus and muscular system at this age is the basis for postural instability. The unevenness of development decreases as the growth rate of the musculoskeletal system decreases and stabilizes towards the end of human growth.
Correct posture is characterized by: vertical position of the head and spinous processes; horizontal level of the shoulder girdles; symmetrical arrangement of the angles of the shoulder blades, mammary glands in girls and parapapillary circles in boys; flat stomach, retracted in relation to the chest; moderately expressed physiological curves of the spine; equal, symmetrical and well-defined waist triangles; symmetrical gluteal folds; equal length of the lower limbs and correct placement of the feet (legs are extended at the knee and hip joints; the axis of the body passes through the ear, shoulder and hip joint and the middle of the foot).
At different age periods, a child’s posture has its own characteristics. Thus, the most characteristic features of the posture of preschool children are the smooth transition of the line of the chest to the line of the abdomen, which protrudes by 1-2 cm, as well as weakly expressed physiological curves of the spine. The posture of schoolchildren is characterized by moderately pronounced physiological curves of the spine with a slight tilt of the head forward.
The pelvic tilt angle in girls is greater than in boys: in boys – 28°, in girls – 31°. The most stable posture is observed in children aged 10-12 years.
Poor posture is not a disease - it is a change in the functional state of the muscular-ligamentous and musculoskeletal systems, which (with timely started health measures) does not progress and is a reversible process.
At the same time, poor posture gradually leads to a decrease in the mobility of the chest, diaphragm, and a deterioration in the spring function of the spine, which, in turn, negatively affects the activity of the main systems of the body: the central nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory; accompanies the occurrence of many chronic diseases due to the manifestation of general functional weakness and imbalance in the condition of the child’s muscles and ligaments.
Reasons for the development of postural disorders:
- weakness of the child’s natural muscle corset;
— furniture does not correspond to the child’s weight and height;
- incorrect body positions that the child takes during the day - when performing various types of activities and during sleep.
There are three degrees of poor posture.
I degree – characterized by slight changes in posture, which are eliminated by purposefully concentrating the child’s attention.
II degree – characterized by an increase in the number of symptoms of poor posture, which are eliminated by unloading the spine in a horizontal position or by hanging it (by the armpits).
III degree – characterized by serious postural disorders that are not eliminated by unloading the spine.
For preschool children, grades I-II of postural impairment are most typical; for schoolchildren – II-III degrees.
Currently, seven types of postural disorders are distinguished in the sagittal and frontal planes (Fig. 28).
In the sagittal plane, there are 5 types of postural disorders caused by an increase (3 types) or a decrease (2 types) of physiological bends (according to I.D. Loveiko, M.I. Fonarev, 1988).
With increasing physiological curves, a distinction is made between stooping, round back and round-concave back.
Stooping is characterized by an increase in thoracic kyphosis with a simultaneous decrease or smoothing of lumbar lordosis. The head is tilted forward; the shoulders are brought forward, the shoulder blades protrude; buttocks are flattened.
Round back , or kyphotic posture, is characterized by increased thoracic kyphosis, with an almost complete absence of lumbar lordosis. Hence the more capacious name - “total” kyphosis. The head is tilted forward; the shoulders are lowered and adducted, the shoulder blades are “wing-shaped”; legs bent at the knees. Recession of the chest and flattening of the buttocks are noted; trunk muscles are weakened. Adopting correct posture is only possible for a short time.
A round-concave back , or kypholordotic posture , is characterized by an increase in all curves of the spine. Pelvic tilt angle [more than normal; the head and upper shoulder girdle are tilted forward; the stomach protrudes forward and hangs down. Due to underdevelopment of the abdominal muscles, prolapse of the internal organs (visceroptosis) may occur. The legs are maximally extended at the knee joints - often with hyperextension (recurvation). The hamstrings and gluteal muscles are stretched and worn out.
Against the background of cosmetic defects with these types of postural disorders, the excursion of the chest and diaphragm decreases, the vital capacity of the lungs and the physiological reserves of the respiratory and circulatory systems decrease. Rotational movements, lateral flexion and extension of the spine are sharply limited.
With a decrease in physiological curves, a flat and plano-concave back is distinguished.
A flat back is characterized by smoothing of all physiological curves (mostly thoracic kyphosis). The chest is displaced anteriorly; “wing-shaped blades” appear. Pelvic tilt is reduced; the lower abdomen protrudes forward. Reduced tone of the trunk muscles.
A plano-concave back is characterized by a decrease in thoracic kyphosis with normal or slightly increased lumbar lordosis. Observed with a combined change in physiological curves. The chest is narrow. The abdominal muscles are weakened, the angle of the pelvis is increased, while the buttocks lag behind; the stomach sags.
Cosmetic defects of the musculoskeletal system with these types of postural disorders are less pronounced: the spring function of the spine worsens, which, in turn, causes constant microtrauma to the brain when moving. Increased fatigue and headaches are noted. With a decrease in cervical and lumbar lordosis, bending of the body forward and backward (to a lesser extent), as well as lateral bending, is limited.
In the frontal plane, two types of postural disorders are distinguished.
Asymmetrical , or scoliotic, posture is characterized by a violation of the midline arrangement of body parts and deviation of the spinous processes from the vertical axis. The head is tilted to the right or left; the shoulder girdles and angles of the shoulder blades are located at different heights; Inequality of waist triangles and asymmetry of muscle tone are noted. Reduced general and strength muscle endurance. Unlike scoliosis, vertebral torsion does not occur, and when the spine is unloaded, all types of asymmetry are eliminated.
Sluggish posture is characterized by general weakness of the muscular-ligamentous apparatus, the inability to hold the body in the correct position for a long time, and frequent changes in the position of the body in space.
Prevention and treatment of postural disorders . Prevention of postural disorders is a long process that requires a conscious attitude and active participation from the child and parents. The child must be repeatedly explained (at an accessible level, taking into account his psychomotor development) and shown what correct posture is and what needs to be done to maintain it.
Prevention of postural disorders in organized preschoolers (attending preschool institutions) is carried out in physical education classes, swimming, music classes, etc.; for schoolchildren - in physical education lessons. Parents have a great influence on the formation of correct posture; from the first days of the child’s life, they perform massage and physical exercises (in accordance with age), and at an older age, they monitor the preservation of the skill of correct posture in everyday life, during various types of activities and during rest.
The basis for the treatment of postural disorders (especially the initial degree) is general training of the muscular corset of a weakened child, which should be carried out against the background of an optimally organized therapeutic-motor regimen, tailored to the type of postural disorders and the child’s age. Elimination of postural disorders is a necessary condition for primary and secondary prevention of orthopedic diseases and diseases of internal organs.
Objectives of exercise therapy for postural disorders:
— teaching the skill of correct posture and systematically reinforcing this skill;
— strengthening the muscles of the torso and limbs (evening out the muscle tone of the front and back surfaces of the torso, lower extremities, strengthening the abdominal muscles);
normalization of trophic processes in the muscles of the body;
— implementation of targeted correction of existing postural disorders.
Indications and contraindications for prescribing exercise therapy . Therapeutic gymnastics classes are recommended for all children with poor posture, since this is the only method that allows you to effectively strengthen and train the muscle corset, and even out the muscle tone of the front and back surfaces of the torso and thighs.
Initially, during exercise therapy classes you should temporarily not use: running, jumping, bouncing on a hard surface; performing exercises in the starting position while sitting; performing exercises with a large range of motion of the body. Clean hangs are not recommended for use in preschool and primary school age, since short-term traction of the spine (against the background of general weakness and disproportion of tone of the anterior and posterior surfaces of the muscles of the body) entails even stronger muscle contraction, which does more harm than good. In addition, traction used in medical practice should always be accompanied by long-term unloading of the spine in the i.p. lying down.
Exercise therapy technique . PH classes are held in clinics, medical and physical education clinics, health schools, preschool educational institutions (3-4 times a week). Reducing the number of classes to 2 times a week is ineffective.
A physical therapy course for preschoolers and schoolchildren lasts 1.5-2 months; the break between courses is at least a month. Over the course of a year, a child with poor posture must undergo 2-3 courses of exercise therapy, which allows them to develop a stable dynamic stereotype of correct posture.
There are preparatory, main and final parts of the exercise therapy course (lasting 1-2, 4-5, 1-2 weeks, respectively).
The preparatory part uses familiar exercises with low to medium repetitions. A visual perception of correct posture and its mental representation are created, and the level of general physical fitness of the child increases.
In the main part, the number of repetitions of each exercise increases. Special exercises are performed from unloading starting positions: lying on your back, on your stomach, standing on all fours and on your knees. Exercises are performed using the repeated or interval method, combined with passive rest. The main problems of correcting existing postural disorders are solved.
In the final part, the load is reduced. The number of repetitions of each exercise is 4-6 times. After 2-3 weeks of classes, 20-30% of exercises (mainly special ones) are updated. For preschoolers, 2-3 complexes are compiled, for schoolchildren - 3-4 LG complexes per one course of exercise therapy. The skills of correct posture are improved in more complex versions of the exercises.
Organizational and methodological requirements for conducting physical therapy classes for postural disorders
1. The presence of a smooth wall (without baseboard), preferably on the side opposite the mirror. This allows the child, standing against the wall, to take the correct posture, having 5 points of contact: the back of the head, shoulder blades, buttocks, calf muscles, heels; feel the correct position of your own body in space, developing a proprioceptive muscle feeling, which, with constant repetition, is transmitted and consolidated in the central nervous system - due to impulses coming from muscle receptors. Subsequently, the skill of correct posture is reinforced not only in the static (initial) position, but also when walking and doing exercises. Exercises to develop and consolidate the skill of correct posture (see Appendix 2).
2. There should be large mirrors in the classroom so that the child can see himself in full height, forming and consolidating a visual image of correct posture. Children of preparatory groups and primary school age give a description of correct posture based on images of fairy tale characters and animals, gradually moving on to describe their own posture and the posture of friends.
Exercise therapy means . The main means of exercise therapy for correcting posture are physical exercises, massage, hydrokinesitherapy; additional treatment is positioning.
Physical exercise . Selected according to the types of postural disorders.
General development exercises (GDE) are used for all types of postural disorders. Helps improve blood circulation and respiration, trophic processes. Performed from various starting positions, for all muscle groups - with and without objects, using simulators.
Corrective, or special, exercises. Provide correction of existing postural disorders. There are symmetrical and asymmetrical corrective exercises. For postural defects, mainly symmetrical exercises are used.
When performing these exercises, the median position of the spinous processes is maintained. If posture in the frontal plane is impaired, performing these exercises equalizes the tone of the muscles of the right and left half of the body, respectively stretching tense muscles and straining relaxed ones, which returns the spine to the correct position. For example: in i.p. lying on your back, hand behind your head - bend your knees and pull them towards your body; in i.p. lying on your stomach - raise your torso, imitating breaststroke swimming, do not lift your legs off the floor; in i.p. lying on your back, legs bent at the knees, arms along the body - lifting the body, moving the arms across the sides to touch the knees.
Special exercises for poor posture include: exercises to strengthen the muscles of the back and front surface of the thigh, exercises to stretch the muscles of the front surface of the thigh and the front surface of the body (with an increase in physiological bends).
Therapeutic gymnastics classes necessarily combine general developmental, breathing and special exercises, relaxation exercises and self-stretching. Exercises to strengthen the muscle corset (see Appendix 3).
Massage. In childhood, it is an effective means of preventing and treating postural disorders. The basic techniques are used: stroking, rubbing, kneading, vibration, as well as their varieties. All techniques are performed smoothly and painlessly. For children in the first year of life, as a rule, a general massage is performed. At an older age, the emphasis is on the muscles of the back, chest, and abdominals. Often massage precedes physical therapy sessions. Children of preschool age and older in PH classes can use self-massage techniques with auxiliary means (roller massager, massage paths, massage balls), which are performed in combination with physical exercises.
Hydrokinesitherapy . Exercises in water are a powerful positive emotional factor. Most children adapt to water from an early age. Hydrokinesitherapy allows you to solve two problems: 1) implementation of correction from the unloading position of the spine; 2) hardening effect (especially for weakened children). Long-term unloading of the spine in water (t not lower than 30°C) allows you to perform a variety of exercises at the side and on a foam board in combination with already mastered skills in various swimming methods. An approximate outline of a therapeutic swimming lesson for children 9-10 years old is as follows: introductory part (5 minutes) – exercises on land and at the side, general developmental exercises for all muscle groups; main part (25-30 min) – exercises in water; final part (5-7 min) – free swimming.
Treatment by position . In classes, LH is used during rest breaks and when performing special exercises. For this purpose, an elastic cushion (2-3 cm high) or a pillow is used (the older the child, the larger its size). If you have a round back, place a bolster under your shoulder blades – when performing exercises in i.p. lying on your back; with a flat-concave back, the roller is placed on the stomach - when performing exercises in the i.p. lying on your stomach or under your head - in and. n. lying on your back. Thus, the child’s spine takes the correct corrective position within 5-8 minutes.
Forms of exercise therapy . For children with postural disorders, various forms of exercise therapy are used: UGG, LH, independent exercise, dosed walking, health path, therapeutic swimming.
It is advisable for children (especially school age) to perform exercises on simulators. When reducing physiological curves, training on a rowing machine (rowing) is useful; when increasing physiological bends - on an exercise bike (training the cardiorespiratory system) with the handlebars raised high (arms parallel to the floor), as well as on the “Health” gymnastic complex. This type of training is also available to preschoolers, provided they have equipment that takes into account the weight and height characteristics of a given age.
For the prevention and treatment of postural disorders, large-sized multifunctional environment-forming objects are also effective - modules that help gradually consolidate the skills of correct posture, as well as enrich the child’s movements, improve the psycho-emotional state (large diameter balls, bright, multifunctional objects).
After a rehabilitation course of exercise therapy (with the doctor’s permission), the child may be recommended to engage in various sports.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of physical therapy exercises for postural disorders
The functional state of the torso extensor muscles and abdominal muscles, which are directly involved in creating the muscle corset and maintaining correct posture, is determined using special motor tests to determine their strength endurance (N.A. Gukasova, 1999). This includes the following tests.
Keep your legs at a 45° angle while lying on your back. The child lies on the couch, arms along the body. Then he freely raises his straight legs at an angle of 45° and, touching the researcher’s hand with his toes, holds them in this position. The holding time is determined using a stopwatch.
Keeping the torso suspended while lying on your stomach . The child lies on the couch in such a way that the upper part of the body (to the iliac crests) is suspended; hands on the belt, legs are fixed by the researcher. The time the body is held suspended is determined using a stopwatch.
The study of muscle strength endurance is carried out 2-3 times a year.
Municipal educational institution
additional education for children
"Center of children's creativity"
Correctional work with children
“Special physical exercises for poor posture, obesity, flat feet”
Kretsul Ekaterina Vladimirovna
In the modern world, with the advent of devices that facilitate work activity (computers, technical equipment), people’s physical activity has sharply decreased compared to previous decades. This ultimately leads to a decrease in a person’s functional capabilities, as well as various kinds of diseases. Today, purely physical labor does not play a significant role; it is replaced by mental labor. Intellectual work sharply reduces the body's performance.
But physical labor, characterized by increased physical activity, can in some cases be viewed from a negative perspective.
In general, a lack of energy expenditure necessary for a person leads to a mismatch between the activities of individual systems (muscular, skeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular) and the body as a whole with the environment, as well as to a decrease in immunity and a deterioration in metabolism.
At the same time, overload is also harmful. Therefore, both during mental and physical labor it is necessary to engage in special physical exercises.
Physical exercise has a healing and preventive effect, which is extremely important, since today the number of people with various diseases is constantly growing.
Physical culture should enter a person’s life from an early age and not leave it until old age. At the same time, the moment of choosing the degree of stress on the body is very important; an individual approach is needed here. After all, excessive stress on the human body, both healthy and with any disease, can cause harm to it.
Thus, physical culture, the primary task of which is to preserve and strengthen health, should be an integral part of every person’s life.
Special physical exercises for poor posture.
1. IP - standing. Adopting correct posture by touching the wall or gymnastic wall with the gluteal region, calf muscles and heels. Move 1-2 steps away from the wall, maintaining correct posture.
2. IP - lying on your back, arms along the body. The head, torso, and legs form a straight line. Raise your head and shoulders, return to IP.
3. IP - the same. In the correct position, press your lumbar region to the floor. Stand up and take correct posture.
Exercises to strengthen the muscle corset.
For the back muscles, IP - lying on your stomach, chin on the back of your hands, placed one on top of the other.
1. Place your hands on your belt, raising your head and shoulders, connect your shoulder blades, do not raise your stomach, and maintain the accepted position.
2. Raising your head and shoulders, slowly move your arms up and sides to your shoulders.
1. Raise your head and shoulders. Hands to the side. Squeeze and unclench your hands.
4. Alternately raising straight legs without lifting the pelvis from the floor. The pace is slow.
5. Raising both straight legs and holding for 10-15 seconds.
For the abdominal muscles, IP - lying on your back, the lumbar region pressed against the support.
I. Bend and straighten your legs at the knee and hip joints alternately.
I. Bend both legs, straighten forward, slowly lower.
.1. Alternate bending and extension of the legs without weight - “bicycle”.
4. Hands behind your head. Alternately raising straight legs forward. The same exercise and combination with different arm movements.
Symmetrical. IP - lying on your stomach, chin on the back of your hands, placed one on top of the other, elbows apart, torso and legs straight,
1. Raise your arms up, stretch in the direction of your arms with your head without raising your chin, shoulders and torso. Return to IP.
2. Maintain the middle position of the spine, move your arms straight back; raise your legs, straightened at the knee joints - “fish”.
3. Raise your head and chest, raise your arms straight up, lift your legs straight, maintaining the correct body position, swing several times - “boat”.
Posture is of great importance in human life. Correct posture is a normal, healthy position of the spine, and it is known to be responsible for the functioning of all organs and systems of our body. Correct posture is not only a guarantee of health, but also a symbol of beauty, vitality and self-confidence. In our progressive age, every person pays more attention than ever to their appearance and maintaining their health. Therefore, today every person has a pressing need for knowledge on how to maintain their health using only their own strength, desire and time. There is no universal set of physical exercises to improve posture. This requires daily work on yourself, and it must be done consciously and skillfully. If you consciously monitor your posture today, that’s very good. Today I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you can’t just “maintain” your posture. You can also help your body with certain exercises, because... correct posture is not just a habit - it is the work of a certain muscle group. By strengthening them accordingly, we contribute to the consolidation of correct posture.
Special physical exercises for obesity:
1. Stand up straight, hands on your belt. Turn your body left and right, 5-6 times in each direction.
2. Stand up, arms to the sides. Lean forward and reach your left knee with your right hand and return to the starting position. Then, with your left hand, reach your right knee, return to IP. Repeat 5-6 times with each hand. After some time of practice, reach not your knees, but your toes.
3. Stand up straight, hands behind your head. Turn your torso left and right, 10 times in each direction.
4. Lie on your back, arms extended along the body. Raise your right leg up, press your knee to your stomach with your hands, and return to the starting position. The same with the left foot. Repeat 5-6 times with each leg.
5. The starting position is the same. Perform the exercise “bicycle” and “scissors”.
6. Lie on your back, hands behind your head. Raising your body, sit down and lie down again. Repeat 3-5 times. Legs are straight.
7. Sit on the floor, stretch your legs. Leaning forward, try to reach your toes with your hands and touch your knees with your head. Repeat 5 times.
8. Stand up straight, arms down. As you inhale, slowly rise onto your toes, as you exhale, lower yourself onto your heels and squat slightly, without lifting your heels from the floor. Perform 10 times.
9. Perform 7-10 squats at a slow pace.
10. Walk with your knees high for 1 minute.
If desired, the exercises in the complexes can be changed or performed with dumbbells in your hands and feet.
In addition to special exercises, for obesity it is useful to do:
• Ride a bike,
• Skiing,
• Skate,
• Do aerobics and swimming
Choose the sport that you like best - then you will enjoy doing it, and it will bring more benefits.
Obesity is manifested by increased deposition of adipose tissue in the body. Most often, the disease occurs due to excess nutrition of high-calorie foods containing fats and carbohydrates. This is primary obesity, nutritional, especially aggravated by low physical activity.
Obesity , which manifests itself in diseases of the endocrine glands and the central nervous system (CNS), is called secondary.
Obesity is a risk factor for the occurrence of atherosclerosis, diabetes, and hypertension.
There are four degrees of primary obesity:
I degree - body weight is 15-29% higher than normal,
II degree - by 30-49%,
III degree - by 50-100%,
IV degree - more than 100%.
To calculate normal weight, Quetelet's weight-height index is most often used (height minus 100 corresponds to normal weight). At the same time, it is taken into account that at the age of over 30 years, body weight may be 2.5-6 kg more in men, 2.5-5 kg in women, especially taking into account the volume of the chest (narrow, wide, normal ).
Obesity is accompanied by various pronounced changes in the cardiovascular system, manifested by myocardial dystrophy, damage to blood vessels, heart, brain and lower extremities; a high position of the diaphragm and a decrease in its mobility leads to a decrease in the respiratory capacity of the lungs; the secretion of gastric juice increases; increased weight overloads the musculoskeletal system and, in combination with altered metabolism, contributes to the occurrence of arthrosis; physical performance decreases. With proper comprehensive treatment, including physical exercise and a rational diet, all manifestations of obesity disappear. Indications for prescribing physical therapy: primary and secondary obesity of degrees I, II, III, IV. They use morning hygienic gymnastics, therapeutic exercises, exercises on simulators, dosed walks on flat terrain and with climbs (health path), special exercises in the pool, swimming in open reservoirs, running, hiking, rowing, cycling, skiing, skating, moving and sport games.
Physical exercises for flat feet .
Physical exercises for flat feet are aimed at strengthening the musculo-ligamentous apparatus of the foot. After gymnastics, you need to do warm foot baths for 10-15 minutes. The water temperature should not exceed 37° C. It is useful to add sea salt, chamomile or sage infusions to the water, and also dilute soap foam in it.
Roll from heel to toe.
2. Turn your feet with your toes inward so that your big toes touch each other. Then turn them around so your heels touch. Don't lift your feet off the floor.
3. Pick up small objects, such as pencils, from the floor with your toes.
4. Use your toes to pull up a thin mat or towel.
5. Roll the ball with your feet.
6. Rest your hands on a chair. Raise your right leg and, counting to ten, make circular movements with your feet. Then repeat the same thing, but with your left leg.
7. Using the toes of your right foot, move from bottom to top along the lateral surface of the shin of your left leg. Then change the position of your legs.
8. Place your feet together. Bend and straighten your toes.
9. Raise your toes as high as possible. At the same time, do not lift your heels off the floor.
10. Walk barefoot on your toes without bending your knees. Keep your hands on your belt, move your elbows back, bend your back.
11. Walk first on your heels (while raising your toes as high as possible), and then on your toes.
12. Rise up onto your toes. Spread your heels apart, then bring them together and lower your entire foot. Repeat five times.
13. Spread your heels to the sides and rise onto your toes. Count to five and lower your entire foot.
14. Walk for a minute, rolling from your toes to your entire foot. Your legs should be slightly bent at the knees.
15. Slide the toe of your left foot forward, and at the same time rise onto the toe of your right foot. Then, sliding the toe of your right foot forward, simultaneously rise onto the toe of your left foot.
16. Rise on your toes and walk around the room with a springy step.
17. Walk on the outer edges of your feet, and then on the inner edges.
18. Place a rolling pin on the floor and stand on it for 30 seconds.
19. Standing on a rolling pin, do low squats while raising your arms to chest level.
20. Press your toes vigorously into the floor for 30 seconds.
21. Jog lightly on your toes for a minute.
22. Waltz.
23.Walk barefoot on a wool carpet.
Flat feet is the flattening of the longitudinal and transverse arches of the foot. At the beginning of its development, it manifests itself in the form of increased fatigue of the legs when standing and walking, and later pain in the sole occurs, which is caused by sprained ligaments, joints and bone pressure on the nerve trunks. Pain can be transmitted to the lower leg, thigh and lumbar region.
Prevention of flat feet involves strengthening the muscles of the foot and its joint-ligamentous apparatus. If flat feet have developed, the doctor usually recommends an instep support (an orthopedic lining for shoes). However, wearing an instep support should be combined with corrective gymnastics for the foot, as well as self-massage, covering the lower limbs and especially the muscles of the foot and the inner surface of the lower leg. If you have flat feet, it is important to keep your feet perfectly clean. Tempering foot baths before going to bed are indicated. Shoes must be exactly the right size, the sole must be elastic and thick, the heel must be wide and low.
Thus, the health-improving effect of physical exercise is associated primarily with an increase in the body’s capabilities, the level of general endurance and ability to work.
An increase in physical performance is accompanied by a preventive effect in relation to risk factors for cardiovascular diseases: a decrease in body weight and fat mass, cholesterol levels, a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate.
In addition, regular physical training can significantly delay age-related involutional changes in physiological functions, as well as degenerative changes in organs and systems.
Performing physical exercises has a positive effect on the entire musculoskeletal system, preventing the development of degenerative changes associated with age and physical inactivity (impaired body functions with decreased physical activity). The mineralization of bone tissue and calcium content in the body increases, which prevents the development of osteoporosis (bone tissue dystrophy with restructuring of its structure and rarefaction). The flow of lymph to the articular cartilage and intervertebral discs increases, which is the best means of preventing flat feet and posture.
All these data indicate the invaluable positive impact of special physical exercises on the human body.
Thus, we can talk about the need for physical exercise in the life of every person. At the same time, it is very important to take into account the state of a person’s health and his level of physical fitness for the rational use of the body’s physical capabilities so that physical activity does not cause harm to health.
Poor posture in children is noticeable to the naked eye not only to a qualified orthopedic traumatologist, but also to parents. A hunched back, asymmetrical shoulder girdle, and protruding abdomen are classic manifestations of pathology. In approximately 30% of cases, the displacement of the vertical axis of the body is due to the presence of scoliosis (lateral deviation of the spinal column).
Posture in children is formed before the age of 24 due to the constant growth of the body. Against this background, any impact can provoke curvature of the spinal column in the horizontal and frontal planes, so it is important to annually check for curvature of the vertical axis.
Any deviation from the above signs indicates the presence of pathology.
Types of postural disorders in the sagittal plane:
A scoliotic arch appears in the frontal plane. It is not a disease, unlike scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spinal axis), but only a consequence of increased tone of the skeletal muscles in one half of the body.
1st degree – the child can, if desired, take a normal position, but in a free position, a curvature of the vertebral axis can be seen;
2nd degree - the deformation is eliminated by hanging on a horizontal bar or wall bars and straightening the body;
3rd degree - the curvature remains when the child straightens and hangs on a gymnastic barbell.
Posture in children when the spinal axis is shifted to the lateral plane is called a scoliotic arch. Without performing x-rays of the spinal column in frontal and lateral projections, it is difficult to distinguish it from true scoliosis. However, curvature of the spine in the frontal plane in degrees 3 and 4 leads to disability in children.
Types of scoliosis and postural disorders in children
Scoliosis is more common in girls aged 12-14 years with rapid growth and puberty. In this case, the changes are due to the fact that the muscular-ligamentous apparatus does not have time to adapt to the rapid growth of the bone structure.
Poor posture in children can be combined with a vertebral hump. When examining the back of a child with this pathology, a large protrusion in the thoracic region is clearly visible. Children with a vertebral hump cannot lean on the back of a chair when sitting and always complain of pain in the thoracic spine.
Correct posture in children should be developed from a very young age. How to prevent spinal curvature in infants:
Parents should remember that all their previous efforts to develop correct posture in children can be undone by sitting incorrectly at a school desk or carrying a heavy backpack on one shoulder.
Incorrect posture in children requires mandatory registration at a dispensary. In this case, the orthopedic traumatologist will determine the optimal correction methods:
With a stooped, flat and round back, it is necessary to guide children to exercise regularly (at least 3 times a week).
Before performing therapeutic exercises, it is necessary to work out the correct posture. Place your child near a wall and place a book on his head. It is necessary to hold it for as long as possible. With the help of this training, the correct posture is subconsciously reinforced.
To prevent back curvature, you should pay attention to the following features:
We draw the attention of parents to the fact that a common cause of poor posture in children is flat feet. Unfortunately, the incorrect formation of the arch of the baby’s foot does not alarm parents. However, when a child with flat feet walks, the body weight falls on the joints and spine, and the shock-absorbing function of the latter is impaired.
Since flat feet in children do not initially hurt, the problem does not cause discomfort. Pain syndrome will occur only when calcium salts are deposited in the bones, and the human body does not have enough strength to ensure the function of movement.
Over time, after flat feet, varicose veins of the lower extremities will appear due to the load on the circulatory system of the legs.
Due to the rapid development of complications, doctors try to treat postural disorders as soon as they are detected. The effectiveness of therapy directly depends on the patient’s interest in the correctness, regularity and duration of following the doctor’s recommendations.
Exercises for poor posture can strengthen the muscular corset of the back, improve the dynamic properties of skeletal muscles and prevent further displacement of the spine.
A course of therapeutic exercises must be carried out regularly and for a long time. The systematicity of performing exercises should not be less than 3 times a week.
Gymnastic exercises for straightening the back, depending on the mechanism of action, are classified into 2 types:
Static exercises are designed to strengthen “slow” muscle groups. These fibers are often in a tonic state and relax very slowly. When the spinal axis is bent, the “slow” muscles on one side of the body are in spasm. To prevent it, static exercises are prescribed.
Dynamic skeletal muscle training is aimed at increasing its elasticity. In this case, the “fast” muscle fibers are strengthened. They are able to quickly contract and relax. Activated by active physical movements.
Gymnastic exercises can be divided into 3 types according to the characteristics of their impact on muscles:
Symmetrical exercises work symmetrical muscle groups on both sides of the body. Asymmetrical - aimed at strengthening individual muscle fibers. Combined options include both of the above groups.
Here is an approximate list of exercises that are used to correct spinal deformities in children:
Parents can also perform the above exercises for children. They are convenient because they do not require long repetitions and strengthen the back muscle corset.
In conclusion, I would like to remind you that there are no medications that would make the muscles strong and the ligaments elastic. Only therapeutic exercises can lead to royal posture.