Many parents say, “My child is always hunched over and it drives me crazy.” It definitely should be a concern, because poor posture means that the child’s brain and nerves are under too much tension. This is the wisdom of the child’s body saying that the pull on the brain and nerves is dangerous; it tries to lessen it by stooping over. This is a red flag that the child’s nervous system has not been able to recover from one or possibly multiple stressors.

A difficult childbirth can often initiate problems with a child’s nervous system that become worse with added stress over time. Also, ongoing stress in the home such as divorce, depression, addiction, financial stress or loss of a loved one can trigger a child’s nervous system to go into survival mode.

Most parents intuitively feel concerned when they see their child’s poor posture, but they have no idea what to do about it and often make things worse by nagging them to stand up straight. Parents can help by having the child’s nervous system evaluated by a chiropractor—especially one who works with children. The chiropractor will help reset and relax the child’s nervous system so their natural, inborn wisdom can work more effectively.

Poor posture can cause or exacerbate such things as aggression, ADHD, social anxiety, irritability, poor sleep, digestive problems and many other health issues. The body has an amazing ability to heal and recover, but if a child’s posture is poor, then something has gotten in the way of their nervous system resetting. By the time the extreme tension shows up as poor posture, the problem has likely become entrenched and is likely to get worse without intervention.

The good news is that kids respond very rapidly. All children should have their nervous system evaluated by a chiropractor, because a healthy and energy-efficient nervous system will facilitate optimal learning, social engagement and self-esteem.

Dr. Joanne Haupert, a chiropractor at Inspired Healing Chiropractic, has helped many children who have had serious health issues improve. Connect at 520-584-0343, InspiredHealing.[email protected] or InspiredHealing.org.