CORE STRENGTH IN KIDS

Understanding concepts:

The word 'CORE' literally means central to the existence of or an integral part of something. Whether it's balancing a bicycle, co-ordinating the right and left halves of your body, holding a pencil, using a pair of scissors, jumping, swinging a swing, pushing a see-saw or copying down notes from the blackboard, the pre-requisite of most activities we perform as children and thus as adults is good core muscle strength.

What are core muscles?

Every time we move our arms or legs to perform either menial or novel tasks, a large amount of force is applied on the spine. CORE MUSCLES, the group of muscles stabilising the spine, attached atleast partially to the spine work via more than just one complicated mechanism at it. These muscles thus provide us with the preliminary postural stability required to purposefully manipulate our body within the environment and make it possible to use it effectively in order to perform the intended task. The task in question here could be a conscious (eg. walking) or subconscious (eg. maintaining balance while standing on a bus) task. Core muscle strength develops and increases thorough childhood and this postural stability forms the keystone of most activities, both physical and academic, we perform.

How is good core muscle strength essential to development of function in kids?

What are the common signs of weak core muscles in kids?

• W-sitting

• Slouched or stooped posture

• Frequent falling due to imbalance

• Leaning on objects or self for support instead of being upright

• Difficulty in holding pencil or colours, bad handwriting

• Poor attention span and distractibility

• Difficult to roll or crawl (in infants)

• Difficulty or fear of climbing activities (stairs, jungle gyms etc)

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Why are so many kids having weak core muscles off late?

It's been observed that more and more kids are having difficulties maintaining their functional posture in classrooms as well as home environments. This could be attributed to multiple factors including

• Increased developmental delays due to multiple reasons

• Decreased physical activity due to increased academic pressures and school time

• Decreased time in the playground and backyard due to increase in screen time

For further information on how to increase Core Muscle Strength in kids stay tuned for my next article. Alternatively, you could check out a few older posts on my Instagram handle @beyondbasicspt Follow us on instagram for quick and more frequent updates on the same.