Back Pain in Children

Market Harborough Chiropractor – back pain in children
Written By davecasey6719@gmail.com, On August 19, 2013

Children are suffering from rise of the ‘Gameboy Back’

Surgeons and chiropractors say increasing numbers of children are suffering spinal problems caused by prolongued use of gaming consoles. Chiropractors are seeing increasing numbers of children in their offices. The main way to avoid future surgery on the spine is to keep its flexibility throughout life. Regular chiropractic treatments combined with expert advice and therapeutic exercises in their offices are now the mainstay of the ongoing war against back pain.

With back pain considered to be the modern epidemic costing governments billions in healthcare and losses to industry, we can no longer rely on waiting for the onset of back pain before we act. Small community based chiropractic clinics such as the Market Harborough based chiropractic clinic and the Melton Mowbray Chiropractic clinic will be at the forefront of this battle.

Doctors say that increasing numbers of children are developing serious spinal problems, such as degenerated discs, because they slump for such long periods. This is serious because disc degeneration usually occurs later in life not in children, this may result in a future of advanced back problems and further cost to medicine as a whole.

Orthopaedic experts say children and teenagers are being left with injuries and curvatures because of a phenomenon they have dubbed “Gameboy Back,” after too many hours hunched over addictive computer games. Chiropractors say that increasing numbers of children are developing serious spinal problems, such as premature disc degeneration, because they slump for such long periods.

Experts say prolongued period on games consoles, and time hunched over smartphones, is damaging the posture of children, and would leave some with lifelong problems. Writing in the Dutch medical magazine, Medisch Contact, orthopaedic and spinal surgeon Piet van Loon said doctors were seeing increased numbers of cases linked to use of computer consoles.

Essentially, it’s like growing bonsai trees: bone responds in the same way as wood. If you force it in a certain direction over a prolonged period, that’s how it ends up growing. If a young spine is kept flexible as it grows chiropractors hope to prevent back pain continuing into adult life.

The experts said the simplest test for “Gameboy Back” is to see if children can bend over and touch their toes. Those with curvature of the spine would not be able to flex sufficiently to reach, they said. Obviously this is a rather crude test of spinal function, but an expert chiropractic examination would give a professional assessment of spinal health.

Chiropractors said that people who play computer games have a tendency to either slump, or to curve their spine in a C-shape for hours on end. Children often sit in front of a computer game in a posture that is very bad for their backs, putting pressure on discs, muscles and ligaments. They can become so immersed in the plot of a game that they don’t notice any pain or discomfort.

We see the same results in office workers slumped over computers all day. Industry has made huge efforts to reduce the onset of back pain related to desk work, but this could be all in vain if the younger generation are damaged before they even start work.

In the population overall we need to take back pain more seriously and attempt to maintain a healthier spine throughout life not just let degeneration get hold in the first place. This must start at the earliest opportunity and we must start in childhood to begin this process.

For a professional opinion and further advice contact one of the qualified chiropractic experts at the Market Harborough or the Melton Mowbray clinics