Strengthening back muscles in infants. Exercises for a strong, straight back in children and schoolchildren. Prevention of spinal curvature

Starting from school age, children have to spend quite a long time sitting at a desk.

Weak back muscles in a child lead to poor posture and, in the future, to the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. With the help of a special set of exercises, you can prevent negative health consequences.

Physical training at an early age

Preparation for school should be not only mental, but also physical. It is physical health that helps you study well and remember new material better.

Preparation should begin from birth. It is before the age of 1 year that children develop a muscle corset, which then continues to develop.

Scoliosis develops during school years. At this time, children spend most of the day studying, and their fragile backs are constantly exposed to stress from a heavy briefcase.

Even before school, you should think about it and start studying. Can:

• take to the pool starting from 5 months;
• from the age of three go to dancing and gymnastics;
• study at home.

If a wall bars are installed at home, you can start practicing on it from 8 months, the same goes for exercising on a fitball.

Exercising on a gymnastic ball is quite simple. You can start from the very birth of the baby, laying it on the tummy and back and rocking it slightly.

The advantages of such exercises are that in addition to strengthening the muscular corset, the vestibular apparatus develops. The amplitude of the swings gradually increases, and then other exercises are added.

Exercises on a gymnastic ball from birth

Starting at birth, place the baby on his tummy and then on his back on a ball, rocking him up and down, from side to side. Gradually increase the range of motion.

From three months, when rocking, bend and straighten the legs, make circular movements, carefully grasping the two handles.

How to strengthen the back muscles at 6 months, when the baby should sit down, but a weak muscle corset does not allow him to do this? This question worries every mother who notices that her baby lags behind her peers in physical development.

Strengthening the back muscles of a 6-month-old child with a fitball begins with sitting down. Even if the baby is not yet sitting on his own, he can be seated on a fitball. In a sitting position, the baby should be rocked using springy movements.

An 8-month-old child can be allowed to reach the exercise ball with his hands to the floor or allowed to get his favorite toy. Taking the baby under the arms, you can put him on his feet and jump on the ball. Such fun will bring benefits and a lot of positive emotions.

Fitball is an indispensable thing in a house where there are children. You can use it from birth to adulthood. This is an ideal sports equipment that helps pump up muscles without much effort.

What to do if your baby has weakened muscle corset?

If a one-year-old child has weak back muscles, this is manifested by the following signs:

• the baby cannot sit on his own;
• does not go;
• does not keep your back straight;
• Doesn't hold up on its own when picked up.

Weak back muscles in a 1-year-old child are a sign of muscle hypotonia, which was not detected at the time. This condition requires treatment, which includes:

• taking medications,
• physiotherapy,
• gymnastics

After the full course of treatment, the baby quickly catches up with his peers in physical development. The sooner hypotension is detected, the less time it will take to recover.

How to help a child with cerebral palsy?

A special set of exercises will tell you how to pump up the back muscles of a child with cerebral palsy:

1. The baby squats down, puts his hands on the shoulders of the adult who is standing in front, and tries to kneel down.
2. The baby is on his knees, and the adult tilts his body in all directions.
3. An adult supports the person standing under the armpits and gently pushes him under the knees so that the patient squats.
4. The baby sits on a chair, and the adult presses his legs firmly to the floor, pushing him forward so that the child stands up.
5. In a lying position, the adult lifts the patient's body and rocks in different directions.
6. The baby lies on his side, and the adult pushes him forward and back.
7. In a sitting position, the adult turns the patient's head in different directions, who, in turn, tries to relax his neck as much as possible.

In addition, doctors prescribe amplipulse for the long back muscles. This is effective both at 6 months and at an older age to restore blood flow in damaged tissues and joints. Complex therapy will allow you to restore your health and achieve success in the fight against cerebral palsy.

Prevention of scoliosis

Since scoliosis is the most common disease of the spine, prevention should be taken care of in advance.

It is better to do this before the baby goes to school. How to strengthen your back muscles to avoid scoliosis? Recommended exercises:

1. While lying down, pedal an imaginary bicycle.
2. Lying on your back, lift your legs up and make cross movements, as if scissors are cutting paper.
3. Lie on the mat, pull your legs to your chest, wrap your arms around them and roll on your back.
4. The most ordinary bridge will help develop flexibility and take care of the health of the spine.
5. Lying on your back, raise your legs, trying to reach the floor behind your head with your fingertips.
6. Standing on all fours, bend and arch your back. Popularly this exercise is called “cat exercise”.
7. Offer to walk around the room on your hands. To do this, take the baby by the legs and lead him as far as he can.
8. Lying on his stomach, the baby clasps his ankles with his hands, making a “basket”.

This simple set of exercises is suitable for children aged three years and older. You need to do it every day, then you can forget about spinal diseases, and children will have excellent posture, good health and a good habit of playing sports.

Taking care of your back health should begin in childhood. Therefore, it is useful to spend small physical exercise minutes with children, even from a young age. They will serve as the prevention of various diseases associated with the spinal region.

Benefits of exercise

The correct formation of the spine will largely depend on the training of the back muscles. The stronger they are, the better the spinal column will be supported in the correct natural position. And thus lower the risk of scoliosis or other back diseases.

Anything that strengthens the muscles and helps create a reliable supportive corset will be beneficial. For example, physical therapy, sports, massage and gymnastics. If you properly prepare your child for physical activity and regularly carry out preventive exercises, then he is unlikely to need additional exercises to correct his posture in the future and his back will be healthy throughout his life.

Formation of the spinal region in infants

The first year of a child’s life is the period of formation of the spine. In a newborn, just born baby, it is completely straight. That is why he can only lie in his crib. Then, as the baby grows, curves in the spine gradually appear. Which are the necessary shock absorption for walking, jumping and running. It is important for parents to monitor their correct formation, help the baby develop motor activity and avoid the following mistakes:

• Do not sit the child down before he tries to do it on his own;
• When placing your baby on the floor with his feet for the first time, be sure to hold him by the sides, in the armpits, and not hold him by the arms.
• Place your child in a sling, kangaroo pouch or walker no earlier than he learns to sit well on his own. That is, from about 8-9 months. The time spent in a hanging position should not exceed an hour, with short breaks.
• When sitting down the baby, you should not place him completely on pillows without support. Because in this position, the spine takes the shape of a wheel, and the muscles, in turn, relax.

Crawling should be encouraged and stimulated in every possible way. After all, this method is ideal for children to independently strengthen and train their muscles.

Gymnastics for infants on a ball

This set of exercises is designed for children from 6-9 months. If there are no physical contraindications, then it is possible to start gymnastics earlier from 3-4 months, but first consult a pediatrician.

• First, prepare the fitball by covering it with a diaper or sheet. Place the baby with his tummy on the ball, and carefully holding the body on both sides, make movements back and forth.
• From the same position, roll the baby on the ball to the right and left.
• As your child gets older, make this exercise more difficult. To do this, you need to hold it not by the body, but by the legs. Holding in each position for 1-2 seconds.
• Place your baby's back on the ball and perform the same rotational exercises as on the stomach.
• First, lay the baby on his right side and, holding him by the left arm and leg, roll him forward and back. Then do the same on your left side.
• Place the baby's feet on the fitball and make springy movements so that the baby tries to make his first jumps.

Gradually, the child himself will learn to maintain balance, arching and balancing while performing exercises. This will strengthen his muscles.

Time to perform such gymnastics per day:

1. For children up to 6 months - 10 to 20 minutes;
2. From 6 to 12 months - 30 minutes;
3. From 1 year to 3 years, 30-40 minutes.

Strengthening the back of preschool children

Between three and six years of age, children are just beginning to develop correct posture. That is why it is important not to miss the moment of its formation. And periodically carry out prevention in the form of physical therapy or sports activities. For example, sections such as dancing, gymnastics or swimming are perfect. Exercises in the pool are the most suitable training even for the spine, which has already begun to undergo deformation.

And also for the health of your son or daughter’s back, it is worth observing some points:

• Avoid a hunched back when the child is in a completely relaxed position;
• You only need to rest with a straight back, lying or sitting.
• A schoolchild's healthy sleep largely depends on a well-chosen orthopedic mattress.

For detailed useful exercises for children 3-6 years old to strengthen the back, see the attached videos:

Exercise reminder

Exercises for schoolchildren

According to statistics, every schoolchild spends 4 to 7 hours a day in a sitting position. And while sitting at his desk, his posture is not always correct, especially when parents cannot control this. In addition, primary school students often carry heavy backpacks. That is why school-age children are more susceptible to improper formation of the muscle corset than others.

As a rule, already at school age children develop an abnormal curvature of the spine. In addition, it has been proven that children with improperly formed posture are more likely than others to suffer from colds, bronchitis, gastritis and constipation. But, if you take appropriate measures in time, it is possible to avoid such problems. To do this, you need to include regular exercises in the student’s daily schedule to strengthen the muscles of the back and abdomen.

For a simple and effective set of exercises for developing correct posture in school-age children, watch the video:

When the moment of formation of the muscle corset is missed, and the child’s posture is not quite correct, it is recommended to carry out special exercises. They are aimed at straightening the spine and strengthening the muscle corset:

Exercise frequency

It is better to start strengthening and therapeutic exercises 3 times a week. Then gradually introduce training on a daily basis. You also shouldn’t rush into loading. Before each exercise, it is recommended to do gymnastics to warm up the muscles. To get acquainted, offer your child several exercise options to choose from and choose only those that he likes and do not cause discomfort.

Important! Exercises are carried out no earlier than 1 hour after a meal or an hour before a meal.

At the moment, there are many ways to strengthen the back muscles and the entire child’s body as a whole. These include, first of all, swimming, gymnastics, dancing and fitball. Any sports section that includes preliminary warm-up and stretching will also be useful. But the most reliable and simple way is still preventative exercises to strengthen the back, which are easy to perform at home at any age. Moreover, properly selected exercises even help to cope with even quite serious childhood diseases - muscle tone and dystonia and asymmetry of muscle tone.

Article taken from the site: http://massageonline.ru/?p=882

AUG 25 2011

http://massageonline.ru/?p=882

In order to decide whether your baby has sufficient muscle strength and whether he can acquire the motor skills needed at his age. Try testing your back muscles.

The main muscles of the back include:

The trapezius muscle, which starts from the occipital region and occupies the upper back and acts on the displacement of the shoulder blades and extension of the head.

The latissimus muscle, which occupies the lower back and side of the chest, contracts, it lowers the raised arm or pulls the torso towards the limbs.

The erector spinae muscle, which is located along the spinal column and performs the function according to its name.

Testing is carried out from 6 months of age. Raise the child lying on his stomach above the surface of the table or floor, holding his waist with your hands. The baby should stay hanging, straightening his back to the swallow position.

Now start training, during which you can periodically return to the proposed test, assessing the results of your training with your child.

Exercises for the back muscles of babies

=== To strengthen your back muscles, start training your baby while he is in your arms. To do this, carry your baby with his back to you throughout the day, holding him with your hand in the pelvis and legs. Try to lean forward slightly with him and straighten up.

At the same time, strive for him to learn to hold the upper half of his body in an upright position on his own. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times, do not forget to secure the child first.

Exercises on a gymnastic ball are beneficial for the back muscles. Place your baby on the ball on his stomach with his feet facing you. Hold it at the beginning in the armpit area. Make rolling movements away from you, then towards you. It is necessary to achieve the child’s ability to bend his back in the shape of a boat. You need to stay in this position for up to 8-10 seconds. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times.

Then, change the direction of movement from side to side, then in a circle clockwise and counterclockwise. We do these movements the same way 3-5 times.

If your child is doing well in the previous exercise, make it more difficult. To do this, try to hold the baby not in the armpit area, but in the hip area. Make rolling movements away from you and pause so that the child tries to independently hold the upper half of the body hanging for up to 3-5 seconds. Return to the starting position for the child to rest. Repeat the exercise 3-5 times.

Back massage

Back massage is necessary to strengthen muscles. This is especially important because A baby in this age range learns to sit independently. It is necessary that he quickly learns to hold his back straight so that the load on the spinal column is correctly distributed and helps to form the physiological curves of the spine.

Place your baby on his stomach with his feet facing you.

The first technique is stroking. It is carried out along the spine with the hands in an up and down direction. Repeat the procedure 3-5 times.

Then stroking is carried out with the fingertips from the spine along the ribs to the side.

The next technique is rubbing. Use your fingertips in progressive spiral movements around the spine on both sides from bottom to top.

Repeat the procedure 2-3 times.

However, it is not recommended to massage the area of ​​the spine itself. Next, change the direction of the rubbing movements. Now your fingers should move from the spine to the side, along the intercostal spaces.

Repeat the technique 2-3 times on each side.

The next technique is kneading. The muscles of the lateral surface of the body are warmed up in the direction from bottom to top. In this case, your hands grab and slightly pull the muscles. Then they make S-shaped multidirectional movements, slowly moving along the body. Repeat the technique 2-3 times on each side.

Finish the back massage by repeating the stroking technique.

By Doctor Gorelikova http://massageonline.ru/?cat=6, Tags: ,http://massageonline.ru/?tag=massag

The time for massage and gymnastics, which is done to the baby at home, increases significantly after 6 months. Now we spend at least 30 minutes on various exercises with the child. What is it for? Children need to strengthen the musculoskeletal system: the muscle tone of the legs must be normal, the support reaction of the feet must be developed, the baby must be able to hold objects well and move actively. At the age of up to one year, development is so intense that not a single day should be missed. We use a variety of techniques: all kinds of exercises, swimming, toys and exercise equipment to develop motor activity, as well as massage. In the video you can see what it looks like in practice. In our article we will describe all the techniques in detail.

After six months of life, the child sleeps less time and is awake more. The duration of gymnastics and massage also increases noticeably, the baby perceives such activity with pleasure

Don't forget to take your child to the pediatrician regularly. Light massage also has contraindications if any abnormalities are detected in the baby’s physical development. The possibility of even the slightest risk must be excluded. Any practice is intended to be beneficial. If careless movements can cause harm, all techniques should be canceled until the specialist reapproves the massage and exercises.

If up to six months baby massage was simple, now more complex techniques will be required, and therefore it is advisable to receive qualified training from a specialist in order to perform all the exercises correctly. It is better to conduct the first sessions under the supervision of a massage therapist, who will monitor your actions, give recommendations and correct mistakes. All this is necessary for safety and greater efficiency. By competently working with the muscles of the back, arms and legs, we will help the child’s body, which is not yet fully strengthened, to develop correctly, form posture, etc.

Gymnastics and massage classes with 6-month-old babies begin with techniques that we have already used before - (more details in the article:), and then new exercises are gradually added. When the abdomen and buttocks are massaged, not only stroking is used, but also pinching around the navel. It strengthens. Pinching on the lower back is not recommended. The massage ends with relaxing and soothing strokes - they relieve tension and have a relaxing effect.

Classes are conducted in the form of a game and are accompanied by funny jokes, nursery rhymes, rhymes, and songs. The mother herself needs to be in a great mood so that the child also feels it - a positive emotional mood will maximize the benefits of the classes.

Baby massage at 6-7 months

From 6 to 7 months, babies are very active and try to sit and crawl. We do the following:

1. Stroking hands.
2. “Boxing” (5-6 times). Lay your baby on his back and extend your arms towards him - he will grab your thumbs. Imitate boxing movements, but without jerking. Bend one handle, straighten the second, then straighten the bent handle and bend the straight one. Point the handle closer to the center so that the shoulder rises slightly. At the same time, it will slightly turn over, first on one side, then on the other (we recommend reading:). The exercise is aimed at strengthening the muscles of the arms and shoulder girdle.
3. Foot massage.
4. “Slides with legs” (5-6 times). With your baby lying on his back, grasp his legs so that your thumbs are located on the front surface of the shin, and the rest on the back. The child’s leg needs to be straightened, and the other leg should be made to slide along the surface, as if he were skiing - this helps strengthen the leg muscles and develop the support reaction. If your muscles are tense, you can start with stomping, gradually moving on to sliding.
5. Active stretching (4-6 times). Invite your baby to reach for toys by hanging them a little further than usual.
6. Flexion and extension of the legs (6-8 times). This is done one by one and at the same time.
7. Leg circles (3-5 times). It is necessary to make circular movements clockwise and back with the child’s legs bent at the knees and hips.
8. “Swallow” (2-3 times). Place your baby on his stomach with his arms outstretched. Grab his torso from below by the sides and lift him, resting his legs on your stomach.
9. Abdominal massage.
10. Turning over. When the baby is lying on his stomach, turn him over onto his back, and then back onto his stomach (3-4 times).
11. Back and buttock massage.
12. Sitting down with arms outstretched (3-4 times). The baby should lie on his back and rest his legs against your stomach. Holding his arms, spread them and carefully lift them into a sitting position.
13. Crawl.

Many people start sitting down before six months. You should not support your baby in this, since the musculoskeletal system is not yet ready for such loads.

Massage program at 7-8 months

When the stage of independently assuming a sitting position passes, children try to crawl. To support this desire, they are laid out on the floor. New massage techniques and exercises are being added, but you should not ignore the ones you already know - they will also be useful. How can you develop motor activity, coordination and rhythm in a child:

1. "Boxing".
2. Actively pulling the handles upward for an object (4 or more times).
3. Flexion and extension of the legs (8-10 times). This is done one by one and at the same time.
4. Circular movements with legs (6-8 times).
5. “Bridge” (2-3 times). This can only be done with the help of mom.
6. Tummy massage.
7. Turns (4 or more times). At 6-7 months, the baby rolls over on its own from tummy to back and back. If he still doesn’t quite manage to turn completely, you can help a little - lightly push him under the butt, pull out the handle from under his side, or put a toy as an additional stimulus on the side where the baby turns over.
8. Sitting on the handle. The child holds on to you, as already described, but not with both hands. You hold it by the handle with one hand and hold your knees with the other. You need to slightly lift the baby so that the elbow of the second handle rests on the surface, trying to rise. You can hold him in a half-sitting position on one buttock for a short time, and then carefully lay him on his side. The exercise is repeated 2 times with each handle.
9. Massage of the back and buttocks (we recommend reading:).
10. Rotation of hands. When the baby is sitting, draw circles with his hands clockwise and counterclockwise 2-4 times.
11. Crawling after an object.
12. "Martin". Vaping options may vary. So, a 7-month-old baby can be circled around the room, supported under the chest. “Swallows” and “Planes” train well the vestibular apparatus and the muscles of the entire back surface of the body.

Children's desire to be active should be supported, but children should not be left alone for a second. Parents need to be very attentive to all movements so that through negligence the child does not receive even a slight injury.

Supplements at 8-9 months

The more the child moves, the less massage he needs. At 8-9 months there is no longer a need to do it every day, but still, up to a year, periodic repetition is useful (see also:). This is especially true for massage of the abdomen, back and buttocks.

Stroking is necessary to relax the muscles, and pinching, rubbing, patting and kneading are necessary to strengthen them. It is necessary to combine these two types of load so that development proceeds evenly.

We continue to use previously mastered skills and add new ones:

1. "Boxing".
2. Bending and extending the legs in turn and simultaneously (8-10 times).
3. “Coachman” (8-10 times). It is done while sitting, imitating the swaying of the coachman.
4. Tilts (from 4 times). Having laid the baby on his back, his legs need to be bent and connected with his knees. The knees need to be rhythmically tilted to the right and left along with the pelvis. Such movements strengthen the oblique abdominal muscles, and the child learns to independently turn to the right and left.
5. Abdominal massage.
6. Back and buttock massage.
7. “Swallow” (2-3 minutes).
8. Crawling on all fours. You can arrange catch-up games or competitions.
9. Torso turns behind the ball (from 4 times). For this exercise, the baby needs to be seated.
10. "Wheelbarrow". An exercise loved by all children. It lifts your mood and trains your muscles well. It is recommended to perform it both as part of a massage program and separately, whenever you have free time. First, the child needs to be placed on his stomach, and then the upper body should be raised with emphasis on the arms. The mother also lifts her legs and holds them herself, and the baby walks on straight arms.
11. "Bike". When the child lies on his back, the mother makes movements with his legs, as if rotating the pedals of a bicycle. Change the direction - sometimes towards yourself, sometimes away from you.

Normally, 8-month-old children already sit confidently, crawl quickly, and the most active ones try to stand up and even walk, holding onto a support. Of course, such activity pleases parents, but there is nothing to worry about if the baby has not yet started these attempts. Over time, everything will come, but now the main thing is to prepare him for further achievements and discoveries, and the result of his efforts will very soon please you.

Tension in the body and spine caused by incorrect static and dynamic posture in children is dangerous due to the acquisition of many bad habits, which further affect the child’s growth and his future postural reflexes - ensuring the correct position of the body in space. This is why it is so important to take care of your child’s healthy posture in a timely manner. First of all, it is necessary to instill in the child the love and habit of an active lifestyle, and, if necessary, pay attention to physical therapy (physical therapy) classes.

The essence of exercises for developing correct posture in children

Posture is the body’s ability to control its position in space, overcoming the action of external forces (gravity, reaction of support, resistance and inertia). This applies to both static (sitting in one position) and dynamic (maintaining balance) posture.

Frequent postural defects: lumbar lordosis, thoracic kyphosis and stoop. Such postural defects can be combined with scoliosis

Perhaps you have heard of proprioception? This is the feeling of the muscles of your body and the position of its individual parts in space in a healthy person. Proprioception works through receptors located in the skin, muscles and joints to create an internal image of your body.

Children's posture is a subject of increasing interest to parents. Good posture is very important for preschoolers, primary schoolchildren and teenagers. It’s not news to anyone that the correct position of the spine is formed from childhood, especially attention should be paid to it during the so-called phases of rapid growth: at 6–7 years old, and also at 11–12 years old.

Since most modern children lead a sedentary lifestyle (studying at school, playing on the computer, watching TV), there is a shortage of active physical movements. And this entails a violation of posture.

Even if the child has not yet discovered any back problems, an active lifestyle is an excellent prevention. Taking into account the child’s interests, you can enroll him in swimming, horse riding, and martial arts. These sports perfectly form the foundations of healthy posture. To correct existing problems, as well as, from a preventive point of view, if there is an anatomical location, it is necessary to introduce the child to special gymnastics in a timely manner. The therapeutic and preventive physical training complex against postural defects in childhood contains the following exercises:

• for training the muscular-ligamentous apparatus of the back - used for the purpose of prevention;
• correcting the position of the spinal column - used to get rid of postural disorders or to stop the progression of curvatures.

The positive effect of exercise therapy on the health of the body is expressed in such changes as:

• strengthening the muscle corset and achieving functional symmetry;
• qualitative development of motor functions;
• stimulation of metabolism;
• fitness of the heart and lungs;
• stabilization of the psycho-emotional background;
• tonic and restorative effect on the body;
• elimination of deformation - in mild forms - or stopping progression (in complex cases).

A necessary condition for exercising exercise therapy for spinal deformities, especially in the initial stages of treatment, are initial unloading poses (lying, standing).

Prohibited exercises for postural defects

There are 4 types of posture according to Staffel. The first type is a healthy posture with normal physiological curves of the spine, which allows you to absorb loads, evenly distributing them across the spinal column and ligamentous-muscular apparatus. The remaining three types reflect certain disorders in the thoracic or lumbar region.

Each type of disorder implies an incorrect position of the entire spinal structure. Therefore, when influencing, for example, the thoracic region through physical education, it is imperative to also take into account the condition of the cervical and lumbar regions. To avoid “distortions” it is necessary to refrain from certain types of exercises. In case of spinal deformities, the following should be avoided in physical therapy:

• excessive bends in the thoracic and lumbar regions;
• static exercises with a hard load on the back (especially in a sitting position);
• sudden jerks, turns, twists;
• unilateral lifting of weights;
• uneven load on the body;
• acrobatic elements (stand on shoulder blades, head or arms, bridge, birch tree, somersaults);
• speed running, jumping, dismounts (concussions excessively injure the spine);
• exercises that overstretch the spine with a rounded, unstable back (passive hangings).

Indications and contraindications for exercise therapy

Physical therapy against postural defects is indicated for any type of postural disorder, since this is the only way to specifically strengthen the stabilizing muscles of the trunk. Physical therapy is necessary for a patient if he:

• flat back - physiological curves are not sufficiently pronounced, flat chest and shoulder blades protruding in different directions. The elasticity and shock-absorbing properties of the spine are insufficient, it is prone to various curvatures;
• rounded back - formed due to increased physiological kyphosis of the thoracic region, in order to balance it in the lumbar and cervical region, a compensatory pronounced lordosis is also formed. Due to excessive deflections, the spine is excessively mobile. Lateral curvature is not typical for this type of posture;
• stooped back - kyphosis of the thoracic region predominates, against the background of other mild deflections. Scoliotic posture is characteristic: one shoulder (scapula) is higher than the other. A stooped back is a pathology that occurs at any age.

Slouching is the most common postural defect. Most often occurs in teenage girls. It is characterized by increased cervical lordosis, which gives the impression that the person is “sad”, the head and shoulders are tilted forward.

A necessary condition for successful treatment is a nutritious diet, an active lifestyle, body weight control, and walks in the fresh air. The sleeping surface must be hard. The child’s workplace must be selected according to his height so that he does not slouch or bend his back to one side. The light should come from the left side. Timely vision testing is also important.

There are no absolute contraindications for practicing therapeutic gymnastics, since the doctor will always select a complex that is individual in complexity and aimed at improving the child’s posture. But with some concomitant conditions and diseases, you should refrain from exercise until your health stabilizes. Relative contraindications include:

• acute inflammatory diseases;
• virus or infection with fever;
• joint or muscle pain;
• the presence of rapidly progressive curvature of the spine (scoliosis).

When acute inflammation or pain has passed, you can begin exercising, carefully starting with the simplest and easiest exercises.

Preparatory stage

After the physiotherapist has determined the type of postural deformation, contraindications are excluded, and associated factors are taken into account - the patient is prescribed a certain complex of exercise therapy aimed at correcting and eliminating defects. Before starting the complex, you need to make sure that the child is provided with sufficient comfort, nothing bothers him or threatens his well-being. Here are some preparation rules:

Classes are held in specially equipped medical rooms accompanied by an instructor - a physiotherapist. In the future, simple complexes can be practiced at home.

Sets of exercises - how to do them correctly

Any exercise therapy complex consists of three stages:

• warm-up - for example, walking in place or in a circle, spinning and swinging your arms and legs;
• basic exercises - a specific complex aimed at eliminating the defect;
• stretching and relaxation - gentle stretching of the main muscle groups.

General rules for performing exercises:

1. You need to exercise at least three times a week. The duration of one lesson is no more than 30 minutes for children 6–7 years old, 45–60 minutes for teenagers;
2. In parallel with gymnastics, it is necessary to teach children the correct breathing technique and not to hold it. As you exhale, elements are performed with effort;
3. At first, movements should be careful and smooth - no jerks or accelerated pace! The complexity of the elements increases gradually from lesson to lesson;
4. Before the start of classes, the child should be warned about the need to report pain or discomfort to the physiotherapist if it occurs;
5. You should feel good on the day of classes, without any deviations;
6. You can't study late in the evening;
7. From the first lessons, you need to pay enough attention to the correct exercise technique (back straight, shoulders straight, chin slightly raised);
8. To obtain the effect, consistency and regularity are important. You cannot miss classes without a serious reason.

Therapeutic exercises must be performed regularly, otherwise the effect will be weak and inexpressive.

It is important that the child trusts the physiotherapist and does not hesitate to comment on his feelings during physical exercise.

Physical training complex for the prevention of poor posture in children and adolescents

To perform, you need a sports mat and a gymnastic stick (children 6–9 years old need the help of an adult). The number of repetitions of each exercise is 6–7 times:

Preventive exercises for anatomical posture in children: video

Exercises for kyphosis in children

The complex can be used as a prophylaxis for juvenile kyphosis (Scheuermann-Mau disease) in children 10–12 years old. If you start physical therapy in time, then at an early age this posture can be corrected quite well. Physical therapy, however, needs to be done regularly for at least a year. If time is lost, then correcting kyphosis in adulthood is already very difficult, due to anatomical changes in the vertebrae. Each exercise should be repeated 5 times unless otherwise indicated.

1. Warm up: walking in place or in a circle for 1–2 minutes; the arms are raised, the entire body is stretched on the toes as much as possible (inhale), when exhaling, the arms are lowered (do 3–5 times).
2. Lie flat on your stomach, stretched out in one line, with your head on one side. Lift your torso and arms from the horizontal surface, your head is a continuation of your spine, and pause for 5 seconds in this position. Your back should be kept straight and your legs should not be raised - the instructor can hold them down (do 5 times).
3. Perform the exercise by analogy with the previous one, only straight arms are spread to the sides, like “airplane wings”; another version of this exercise, when the arms are bent at the elbows, like small wings, the hands are in fists at shoulder level, the shoulder blades are brought together; then the child lowers his arms along the body and again lifts the upper part of the body from the floor (do each option 5 times).
4. A more complex exercise, consisting of the elements of the previous ones, lying on his stomach, the child lifts the upper part of the body from the floor and in this position changes the position of the arms: along the body, bends at the elbows, straightens forward, bends at the elbows again, again along the body. It is important to monitor the position of your legs and head.
5. Initial pose: lie on your back, shoulders and arms down, shoulder blades and lower back in maximum contact with the floor. Raise your legs, bend your knees and form a right angle, fix for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. When lifting the legs, the instructor initially fixes the stomach with his hand so that the child does not bend his lower back.
6. In the same position: straight leg raises to an angle of 45 degrees with the floor. And also fix it for 5 seconds each time you lift it. It is necessary to control that the shoulder girdle and lower back do not leave the ground.
7. An exercise combined from the previous two: lift your straight legs off the floor at an angle of 45 degrees, bend your knees, straighten them again and smoothly lower them to the floor.
8. Exercise “scissors”: lying on your back, raise your straight legs at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor and perform horizontal swings with your legs, crossing them. Shoulders and lower back do not come off the floor.
9. The same as in the previous exercise, only perform vertical leg swings.
10. Exercise “bicycle”: lying on your back, raise your legs and bend your knees, imitate riding a bicycle forward and backward - your legs “spin” in the opposite direction (30 times).
11. Starting position: standing against the wall. Press your head, shoulder blades, buttocks, shins, heels against the wall, do not bend your lower back. Shoulders and hips are at the same level in terms of horizontal and vertical planes. Stay in this position for 1 minute, gradually, from lesson to lesson, increasing the duration. Ideally, you should finally perform this exercise without leaning on the wall.

Exercises for kyphosis in children: video

5 simple and effective back stretching exercises

The exercises are designed to develop ideal posture in schoolchildren and teenagers. The complex is simple and takes very little time - this is its advantage. Each exercise must be repeated 3 to 5 times.

1. Initial pose: sit on your knees, buttocks covering your heels, arms extended forward on the floor, back arched as much as possible. It is necessary to pull your head, neck and arms forward as much as possible, feeling the tension in the back muscles. Stay in this position for a while, swaying up and down a little, without making sudden jerks. This exercise should begin and end your exercise.

   It is advisable to begin and complete the complex with such stretching.

2. Starting pose: stand on your right knee, bend your other leg, resting on your foot. The head “looks” forward, with the opposite (left) hand it is necessary to touch the heel of the right foot, while the right hand reaches towards the ceiling. Then change sides.

   Stretching and balance exercises seem simple only at first glance

3. Plank exercise (for a healthy back as a preventive measure). Lean on the floor with your elbows and feet, the body is parallel to the floor, the neck and head are a continuation of the spine. Stay in this position for 10–15 seconds (as long as possible). It is very important not to arch or round your back.

   The plank exercise perfectly trains both posture and the muscles of the whole body.

4. Initial pose: standing, lean forward with your whole body, straight arms back as far as possible, lowering your shoulders and moving your shoulder blades. Stay in this position for 10 seconds.

   Tilts of the body with arms laid back are performed, bringing the shoulder blades together as much as possible

   The second version of this exercise is with arms extended forward.

   You need to not only tilt your body, but also stretch forward with your own hands

5. Initial pose: standing straight, reach for the ceiling with your hands, clasp the wrist of the other with one hand, and in this position, smoothly bend and stretch, swaying slightly, in both directions alternately.

   Side bends provide stretching for the lateral muscles of the torso.

This charging takes on average 10 to 15 minutes. But you need to do it every day.

Exercises with a fitball to improve posture

With the help of exercises with a large elastic ball - a fitball, the student will strengthen the muscles of the so-called core - this is a set of muscles responsible for stabilizing the spine, pelvis and hips, and therefore for healthy posture. First you need to choose a suitable ball, according to the height of the child. This can be done as follows: in the position of sitting on the ball (feet on the floor), the angle between the student’s thigh and shin should be approximately 90 degrees, and the knees in this position should be slightly below the waist. Or another rule: children under 155 cm tall should choose a ball with a diameter of 45–55 cm; if you are 156–169 cm tall, a fitball 55 cm in diameter is suitable; for teenagers whose height exceeds 170 cm, a fitball of 65–75 cm is recommended.

1. While sitting on a fitball, alternately raise your legs, trying to stay on the ball with a straight back.

   While holding the ball with your hands, try to maintain balance.

   To complicate the task, simultaneously with the leg, you should raise the opposite arm up, stopping in this position for 5 seconds (perform 2 sets of 20 times).

   A more complicated version - not only the legs are involved, but also the arms

2. To make the exercises not only useful, but also interesting, you can additionally use small colored balls and a basket. The child lies down with his stomach on the fitball, and at the same time picks up a small ball.

   An unusual idea with colored balls that need to be thrown into a basket will arouse keen interest and excitement in children of any age.

   Scrolling the fitball under him with the help of his hands “walking” along the floor, he tries to throw the ball into a basket that is located at a distance.

   The basket can be placed at a short distance from the fitball

   To complicate the task, the basket can be positioned further and further from the fitball over time. Thus, the fitball ends up near the feet. Backwards you need to move in the same way, rolling the ball under your body to the starting position.

   The task becomes more difficult if the basket for colored balls is moved a little further

3. Exercise “airplane”: the child lies on top of the ball so that the upper part of the body hangs above the ground, the toes rest on the floor. While making an effort, you need to try to keep the ball under you, spreading your arms to the sides and keeping your back, neck and head in one line.

   Children will definitely like the “airplane” exercise on a fitball.

Such exercises will be greeted with enthusiasm by children of any age. They perfectly train the upper and lower muscles of the back and abdomen, forming healthy posture unnoticed by the child.

When sitting at the dining table at home or at your workplace, it is useful for a child to use a fitball instead of a chair. Thus, the necessary core stabilization skill will be developed automatically.

Using fitballs instead of chairs - quietly trains posture and, at the same time, relieves the child’s spine

Exercise therapy for a flat back

A flat back is the worst type of posture in terms of the shock-absorbing properties of the spine. Its anatomical curves are underdeveloped due to hereditary predisposition, weak back muscles, previous rickets, etc. Exercises for this postural defect should be done extremely smoothly, stopping a little in each position. Repeat 10 times.

Total weakness of the muscular system is the basis of this postural disorder

• Starting position: on your back, legs straight, arms by your sides. Slowly raise your head and upper body, hands reaching for your toes.
• Initial pose: on your back, hands under your head, lift your straight lower limbs off the floor, spread them to the sides, then connect them and gently lower them.
• Exercise “diaphragmatic breathing” or belly breathing. Lying on your back, bend your knees slightly, inhale more air through your nose, inflating your stomach. Blow air smoothly in a thin stream through your mouth. The abdominal wall should “sink” as much as possible when exhaling.

  Diaphragmatic breathing provides intensive enrichment of blood with oxygen: organs of all systems begin to function at maximum efficiency

• Initial pose: lying on your back, arms by your sides, lift your pelvis off the floor and pull it up, pointing it towards the ceiling. The second option is to raise the pelvis with a straight leg (alternating lower limbs).
• Airplane exercise: lying face down, legs closed, arms spread to the sides. At the same time, smoothly raise the upper body, arms and shoulders above the floor, as well as tightly closed legs - stay in this position for 5 seconds, then smoothly return back. The neck and head extend the line of the spine.

  Exercise "airplane" - correction of the thoracic spine

• Exercise “cat”: standing on your knees, leaning on your hands, make your back an arch (your head “looks” down); bend your back as low as possible to the floor (raise your head).

  Exercise cat - has a beneficial effect on the entire spine

• Exercise “imitation breaststroke”: lying on your stomach, bend your elbows in front of you. Raising your upper body above the floor, straighten your arms - lower your head, exhale - and “draw” circles with your hands (raise your head, inhale), as when swimming breaststroke.

Such physical education helps to train the muscular corset and form the anatomical curves of the spinal column inherent in correct posture.

Possible consequences and complications

Everyone knows about the benefits of physical therapy and its significant role in correcting postural defects. However, not every adult, much less a child, thinks about the possible consequences and complications. And they are quite real if you do not follow the exercise technique, or develop complexes for yourself, without the assistance of an orthopedic surgeon and physiotherapist. In this case, troubles such as:

• the occurrence of pain syndrome;
• neuralgia due to compression of the nerve root of the spine;
• muscle spasms;
• stretching of the ligamentous apparatus;
• strengthening of existing spinal instability;
• worsening the existing defect.

Exercise therapy for a compression fracture of the spine plays a major role in the rehabilitation of the patient. The patient spends the first 2 months after the fracture in the hospital in a supine position, where he is shown: breathing exercises and the most facilitated movements of the arms and sliding on the bed with the legs. As you recover, the orthopedic doctor gradually adds exercises, creating an individual complex for the patient. More or less full-fledged gymnastics is indicated 2–2.5 months after the injury and is carried out under the supervision of a physiotherapist and rehabilitation specialist.

For physical exercise to be beneficial, the child must clearly know and follow safety rules, and also be constantly under the supervision of an instructor.