Chiropractors Tone Tellefsen Hughes and Daniela Colores Jardon from Luck’s Yard Chiropractic Clinic in Milford joined Year Nine students from a local school at their health and well-being day in late June.
They wanted the girls to become more aware of body tension and how the body works including giving tips on how to prevent tension of the spine and the consequences of slouching and sitting for long periods of time without taking regular breaks.
The students were asked to fill in a short survey answering questions about pain in different parts of the body, the affect of stress and time spent using a variety of hand held devices such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc.
A significant number experienced pain in between one and two parts of the body (26% and 23% respectively) but 18% described pain in three areas of the body.
A surprising 25% reported feeling discomfort or pain in between four and six areas of the body which emphasises the importance of ‘body awareness’ and ensuring that steps are taken to prevent pain where possible.
Shoulder pain was the most common area of discomfort followed by lower back, neck and leg pain. These findings mirror research findings that sedentary lifestyles and poor posture due to frequent use of mobiles and other handheld devices is causing a huge rise in back and neck problems amongst young people – see our recent blog to learn more: http://www.lucksyardclinic.com/a-pain-in-the-neck/
The majority (63%) admitted to sitting between 6 – 8 hours daily with just under half that amount sitting between 2-6 hours. A small minority sat for 9 hours plus daily.
Most of the students said they took regular breaks (76%) but a significant number (24%) do not take any breaks during their time spent sitting.
About 60% of the respondents said they used portable devices for between 1-3 hours daily with 36% using for more than 3 hours daily.
60% feel stress affects their health with the remainder 33% unsure if health conditions or discomfort could be attributed to stress.
“The girls were absolutely amazing and so engaged with the subject and really understood the importance of preventative health” said chiropractor Daniela Colores, who showed the girls specific exercises for each area of the body.
The girls were also guided through a simple two minute meditation so they could ‘listen in’ to their bodies and become more ‘present’ enabling the students to become more body aware. By listening to the messages our bodies tell us we are more able to make positive changes to improve pain or discomfort.
The girls also discussed the importance of good posture for other health areas such as stress, breathing and digestion, as well as how we can be perceived by other when we slouch or keep a closed posture.
After the session Tone said: “I feel that education about the body and well-being is paramount for school children and it is so exciting to work with teachers and school staff who clearly value this aspect of education as being very important indeed.”
“School children are our future leaders, and we need to show them how they can be responsible for looking after themselves and their health.”
For more advice on how to sit correctly when studying take a look at Tone’s blog: http://www.lucksyardclinic.com/exam-stress-posture/
Tone and Daniela would like to build on this research by working with the parents and how they can inspire their children and teenagers by changing their own postures while looking at smart phones and lap tops.
