Back pain is a condition we usually associate with growing older. However, lifestyle changes mean back trouble is no longer confined to the adult population; more and more children and young people are also reporting discomfort.

Studies show that almost half of all children of secondary school age experience occasional backache and that back pain during adolescence (teenage years) can mean youngsters are four times more likely to suffer the condition as adults. Childhood back pain has been related to heavy schoolbags and ill-fitting classroom furniture.

These factors can certainly contribute, but physiotherapists (people who treat injuries with massage and exercises) point out that books and bags alone should not cause bad backs. It is only when the everyday physical demands of school life are combined with sedentary (inactive) lifestyles and poor posture that real back problems begin to set in.

The car culture and passion for computer games have reduced physical activity and, linked with high

 consumption of junk food, created a situation where inactivity and bad diets are an accepted way of life. These habits encourage poor posture and weight gain and means that joints and muscles are not worked through their full range and normal length.

This makes it more difficult for the body to cope with day-to-day tasks. And because we take many of the practices of childhood into adult life, our chances of maintaining a healthy back later on are also greatly reduced.

Backache affects upto 95 per cent of the population at some stage and costs the economy in lost productivity and disability or sickness benefits. Given these statistics, it is important that young people develop good habits early on in life.

Adolescent back pain

The back is designed to perform many functions but it is also an especially vulnerable part of the body. This is because it serves two contradictory (opposite) purposes - mobility and stability. It has to be flexible enough to cope with basic movements such as bending and twisting, but it also needs to offer stability so that we can stand upright, walk around and carry loads where necessary.

Teenage backs also have to deal with the effects of puberty. Growth spurts cause big structural changes within the body as bones, muscles, nerves and connective tissues stretch and lengthen. Different parts of the body may take longer to grow than others.

This can sometimes result in temporary uneven posture and lead to pain from tightness or overstretching muscles and nerves.

In recent years, the curriculum has expanded and class sizes have swollen. Many schools have had to make sacrifices that may not be in the best interests of child health.

Physical health lessons have been cut back to make way for more academic subjects and personal lockers and desks with storage space have been removed to provide larger teaching areas, leaving children little choice but to carry their belongings around all day.

And while secondary schoolchildren vary enormously in height, tight budgets mean classroom furniture is often 'one size fits all'.Children are at special risk of suffering discomfort from poorly designed furniture because they spend long periods sitting down.

Fewer than 20 per cent of students can find suitable desk/chair combinations and many pupils sit at desks that are too big or chairs that are either too high or too low.

Therefore, children need to try especially hard to maintain a good posture during lesson time. Recent research shows that active children and young people are less likely to get back pain in adulthood. Physios suggest that working towards a good level of fitness is one of the best things children can do for their backs and that weekends and evenings can be a great time to try a new sport or activity.

* For children, one hour of moderate physical activity everyday is recommended. Regular exercise will mobilise and strengthen the spine.

* Active children tend to develop better muscle tone. Strong abdominal muscles make it easier for children to maintain a good posture.

Concerns about appearance, achievements and peer relationships are a common part of school-life. Evidence suggests that stress and anxiety can contribute to the development of back pain.

Regular exercise is a great way of relieving the pressures of daily life. In addition to optimising physical fitness, it can boost mental health by enhancing self-esteem.

Children who are confident and body aware usually adopt a more upright posture - key to a healthy back.

Use it or lose it

Nowadays, sedentary hobbies compete with physical activity. Kids used to make their own fun, but thanks to modern technology, much of that is now done for them.

Studies show that six in ten children spend over 25 hours a week slouched (slumped) on the sofa watching TV or sitting in awkward positions playing with games consoles.

Physiotherapists warn that unless children regularly begin putting their bodies through a full range of motion, elasticity will cease (stop), muscles will weaken and joints will stiffen up. Under these conditions, backs become particularly vulnerable, and by adulthood, could be feeling the full effects of an inactive youth.

Sent by
Gopi Kitanasamy, BSc,
MCSP (UK), MIMDTP (UK),
Chartered Physiotherapist

Courtesy:
The Chartered Society
of Physiotherapy, UK

Continued next week