Don't restrict your baby from crawling: Experts
Published on: Thursday, November 20, 2014
KOTA KINABALU: Allow your baby to crawl, instead of restricting its movement once it is ready to crawl.The advice came from chiropractor Douglas Hawley and physiotherapist Calvin Teo of TAGS (Spine & Joint Specialists) who stressed that it is important for the child to start crawling before learning to stand up, at the talk on bone and knee pain at the Kota Kinabalu Widows Welfare Association (KKWWA) Senior Day Care Centre, Monday."Most parents do not allow their baby to crawl on the floor for one reason or another.
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Some parents are afraid to let the infant crawl because they think it is not hygienic."It's good for the baby to do so because when it is crawling, the back is horizontal so gravity acts on the back and it creates the forward curvature of the spine," they said in their presentation to members of KKWWA.The duo also pointed out that when the baby is crawling, it has to look up to see where it is going. "That creates the forward curvature of the neck. Those are two very important curvatures in the spine." The spine and joint specialists further said that putting babies in walking rings and jolly jumpers too early is not encouraged because it loads the spine before the right time.
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"When a baby is ready to stand upright or walk, it will do so naturally as the brain knows when the body is ready. Parents must rely on the brain and trust the child's brain to guide them."Meanwhile, parents were advised to monitor the weight of their children's schoolbags, especially those in the primary school, and remind the latter to carry their bags on both shoulders, and not only on one side.
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Citing research, Hawley and Teo said children should not be allowed to carry more than 10pc of their body weight on their backs. From their observation, in many countries, children are now using mini suitcases (complete with wheels) as schoolbags."Until about the age of 18, certainly right up to the teens, the spine is relatively soft because it composes more of cartilage than bone. During this period, if you stretch the spine in an abnormal way, it easily distorts because it is soft. But by the time of age 18, it should be solid bone," they explained.One such distortion is scoliosis which is marked by abnormal curvature of the central part of the spine. It appears mostly in children from birth and young adults up to age 15. Early diagnosis and proper orthopedic care are important. Hence, it is important for parents to have their children checked for bow leg or curved spine. Flat feet cause bow leg, and this can be congenital. Watch out, flat feet may also contribute to knee problem in the latter part of one's life.On the increasing incidence of hunch-backed children, the spine and joint specialists attributed this to the bending of the body when they sit and play games with their laptops, tablets and cellphones all the time. This posture, they said, affects the neck, upper back and the lumbar spine "because they are moving forward all the time."What we do every day, our daily activities, affect the spine, the participants were told. These include leaning forward at work, ironing, cooking in the kitchen, squatting, carrying weights, driving and listening to the handphone at the same time as well as incorrect postures.Sitting the whole day without realising it and bad postures when standing, sitting or bending cause us bone pain. According to Hawley and Teo, 70 to 80pc of bad postures are due to age, and the rest caused by bad habits and genetics. Another cause of bone pain is muscle weakness. To address this problem, the speakers maintain that exercise is important to strengthen the muscles and loosen the joints. "Muscles are designed to move all the time. Be active as much as possible. Go out and play with your grandchildren," they told the grandmas. "Less vigorous exercise is recommended to activate postural muscles as this won't hurt the back."Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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