I had a client earlier today and saw him in this position.
"W" sitting is a position when children sit with both knees bent and legs turned out forming a letter W on the floor. It is very common among children that parents think its just normal to sit in that position.
In my experience, I usually see it happening before a baby starts crawling especially during transitions from any position to sitting. It gets more frequent when a baby starts to crawl. Using it to transition or move from one position to the other is ok but the problem lies when staying in or prolonging that position.
So why a baby or child prefers it?
When a baby is on W position, he is stable. It widens the base of support due to legs are out.W sitting is very common among babies who are generally has decreased tone, has loose joints and those with poor balance.
Long term effects?
When babies and children are on this position, they would no longer engage or use their trunk muscles due to added stability of a wide support. Thus,leading to disuse and further weakness. Another observation I had is, babies tend not to use the arms to cross the midline as trunk rotation is limited and also they can't weight shift on the buttocks. Shortening of the following muscles is also very common especially on the hamstrings,gastrocs and heel cords. Later in life, this causes low back pain and knee and foot problems.
What can we do as parents,caregivers?
The moment we see our kids do this, we need to correct them right away meaning instructing them to sit cross legged,side sit,sit with legs out straight or bent. Early correction is a must so that it doesn't become a habit. And if you think your kids are not growing typically in comparison to other kids their age,consult with your pediatrician and bring your concerns to them.
"W" sitting is a position when children sit with both knees bent and legs turned out forming a letter W on the floor. It is very common among children that parents think its just normal to sit in that position.
In my experience, I usually see it happening before a baby starts crawling especially during transitions from any position to sitting. It gets more frequent when a baby starts to crawl. Using it to transition or move from one position to the other is ok but the problem lies when staying in or prolonging that position.
 |
| W sitting front view |
 |
| W sitting view from behind |
When a baby is on W position, he is stable. It widens the base of support due to legs are out.W sitting is very common among babies who are generally has decreased tone, has loose joints and those with poor balance.
Long term effects?
When babies and children are on this position, they would no longer engage or use their trunk muscles due to added stability of a wide support. Thus,leading to disuse and further weakness. Another observation I had is, babies tend not to use the arms to cross the midline as trunk rotation is limited and also they can't weight shift on the buttocks. Shortening of the following muscles is also very common especially on the hamstrings,gastrocs and heel cords. Later in life, this causes low back pain and knee and foot problems.
What can we do as parents,caregivers?
The moment we see our kids do this, we need to correct them right away meaning instructing them to sit cross legged,side sit,sit with legs out straight or bent. Early correction is a must so that it doesn't become a habit. And if you think your kids are not growing typically in comparison to other kids their age,consult with your pediatrician and bring your concerns to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment