mooooom Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I don't think she has a crooked back - she is checked every year at her physical, but when she just stands normally she looks awful - her shoulders hunch and then her pelvis juts out a little too - it's an S curve when she's sideways to you. Last summer the ped just said to make an effort to stand up straight - and then I didn't really notice all winter - it's not something you'd really notice with many layers of clothes on. I have reminded her multiple times and told her how concerned I am - she just says she never remembers - she stands straight when in the ring at a dog show - she remembers then. Should she see a doctor? Or what should I do? I don't want to be a constant nag - she's at the roll your eyes age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Enroll her at a good ballet school. That does wonders for a girl's posture; I know it helped my dd immensely with the side benefit that I never had to say anything to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Enroll her at a good ballet school. That does wonders for a girl's posture; I know it helped my dd immensely with the side benefit that I never had to say anything to her. :iagree: That is what I was going to suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 :iagree: Another vote for dance, though it could be something other than ballet if she prefers - Irish, Scottish, anything that will emphasize a strong core. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I was wondering the same sort of thing about my son, but enrolling him in ballet is not an option. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Horseback riding also requires good posture. My 11 year old ds has slouches all the time. Drives me batty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 As someone who suffers from the effects of scoliosis every single day (neckaches, nerve damage), yes, I would be concerned. A chiropractor or orthopedic doctor are much better qualified to evaluate possible scoliosis. At the least, get her in a sport that emphasizes upper body strength--dance is great, or perhaps basketball, volleyball, or swimming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 If I were you, I would just get an xray. You could even ask her regular pediatrician to do it. What could it hurt. My DD has scoliosis and it was not caught by her ped. I wish we had taken action sooner. At least we could have had her doing exercises that might have helped. She wasn't diagnosed till about age 15. She has a lot of back pain. She always had bad posture too. You just never know. I could be, it might not be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Along with strengthening her core (tummy muscles, basically), make sure the muscles of her chest are strong. She could have underdeveloped the muscles that will keep her shoulders back, and over stretched her traps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 I look around at kids and many, many of them have horrible posture. My dd at 6,7, 8 had horrible posture, we even too her to the dr. Her spine was fine. She's even been enrolled in karate since she was 5! Then, we took away her tv and her posture has improved almost 100%! IMPO a lot of tv, computer, and game playing isn't helping anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 My son had terrible posture. We discovered that his back muscles were very weak compared to his chest muscles. We did work on his upper back muscles and his posture has definitely improved. We had him use resistance bands and had him do the reverse fly, rows and lat pull downs. Maybe this can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Wisc Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 I asked every doctor my son had ever seen about his posture and the way he held his head, even as an infant. They all told me that he was fine--"just get him exercising." Fast forward to age 16--this year he had surgery for Scheuermann's Kyphosis at Shriners Children's Hospital, Twin Cities (a fantastic place) in January. I tell you this not to scare you but to be certain you get a real answer to your questions. If it is posture, they should be able to address why there is a posture problem. If it is structural, you want to know that, too. If you are concerned, an orthopedic doctor would be able to tell you what you need to know. Wishing you the best. Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I asked every doctor my son had ever seen about his posture and the way he held his head, even as an infant. They all told me that he was fine--"just get him exercising." Fast forward to age 16--this year he had surgery for Scheuermann's Kyphosis at Shriners Children's Hospital, Twin Cities (a fantastic place) in January. I tell you this not to scare you but to be certain you get a real answer to your questions. If it is posture, they should be able to address why there is a posture problem. If it is structural, you want to know that, too. If you are concerned, an orthopedic doctor would be able to tell you what you need to know. Wishing you the best. Jean :iagree: My son was diagnosed with with at age 15 almost too late and 3 years after I noticed the slumping look to his back. He did football workouts with our Pastor for 13 months and it did spread the vertabrae enough for some bone replacement but he still has to excersise the rest of his life to get the back and stomach muscles to hold his spine straighter. He will have a little hump all his life but the sooner you treat it (we braced him too) and strengthen the muscles while she is still growing, the more bone you can get into the wedged vertabrae. I would get her to the nearest Shriner's Hospital ASAP, I wish I didn't wait until my son was 17 to go the Shriner's because the pediatric orthopediatist he went to treated it like it was no big deal. I had to insist on a brace but then he ordered the wrong one. The Shriner's are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 I made an appt w/ her ped on Friday - I will need a referral for a orthopedist. I think this only started about a year and ago, pretty much when she started developing (when it started I thought it was a self conscious thing). She only plays soccer (no upper body workouts). And she has been spending a ton of time training her toy poodle puppy (who isn't tall at all!). Hopefully it is just laziness - but I want to know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Assuming it is not a medical condition (good for you to check) another alternative for improving ones carriage is yoga practice. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 (edited) She is a serious dancer with 10 year of training. But we noticed this problem arising over the last two years. Right after she began growing quickly and developing. She could stand up straight in dance class, but not as well as she should, but would be awful outside of dance. She does not have scoliosis, but does have a VERY flexible back. Usually flexibility (which is great for dance) equates to not very strong. From the side she looked like an S also. We took her to a physical therapist who works with dancers. They evaluated her entire body and came up with exercises to strengthen her back. Because she had grown about 5 inches in the last two years her muscles hadn't kept up with her bones they said. Even tho' it has only been about a month we have noticed an improvement outside of class. A large part of it seems to be motivational also. She is motivated in class, not so much outside. The PT helped with that. Her older sister has had the same problem and is now motivated to fix it. (We spent years telling her to stand up straight!) She has asked to go to PT this summer when she is home from college and we've gladly agreed. I wish we'd known the difference it could make years ago. BUt of course without motivation it would have been wasted money. Both of them are tall and lean, and maybe not feeling confident in their new height was part of it? I'm considering the PT for me too, because my posture stinks! ETA: Both girls were evaluated by physicians and do not have scoliosis. HTH, Mary Edited March 30, 2009 by Mary in VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I say this as a person who had horrible posture as a child. My mom only complained to me that I should fix it. :tongue_smilie: My dd also has poor posture. She swims, but it has not helped. She injured her shoulder and did PT 2 years ago, that helped. PT is an option, but it's expensive. Do make sure it is not a real medical problem. I would recommed yoga or pilates. She could do a class. Both work on your core and on posture. Pilates has helped me, my dd prefers yoga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Both my middle ds and I suffer from this. A Physical Therapist or Chiropractor should be able to give you some exercises to do at home to strengthen the muscles needed to help with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 You might check for pectus excavatum. It can cause shoulders to hunch forward and then the pelvis is thrown out of normal placement in order to balance. I was always nagging my son about his posture, but found out that he had PE. Surgery corrected it, he gained about an inch in height because he can now stand straight. He simply could not stand straight no matter how hard he tried (before surgery). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I was going to suggest a chiro check, as well. My dd had terrible forward head posture and with adjustments and exercises, it's now gone. Yoga and dance are also good suggestions. Do you have a Wiifit? Balance exercises and the yoga could help, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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