According to a survey conducted between March and May 2017 by the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne:
- The majority of all Australian children, across all age groups, are exceeding the current national recommended guidelines for screen time,
- Almost all (94%) Australian teenagers, two thirds (67%) of primary school aged children and over a third (36%) of preschoolers have their own mobile screen-based device.
It was reported the average hours of screen time per week across the ages were:
- <2 years 14.2 hours
- 2 to <6 years 25.9 hours
- 6 to <13 years 31.5 hours, and
- 13 to <18 years 43.6 hours
These statistics won’t be surprising to many parents, but they do have consequences for our children’s health and well-being:
- Poor workstation set-up for desktop use can result in headaches, neck, shoulder and upper back pain,
- The use of mobile screen-based devices encourage a forward neck posture and forward slouched position of the shoulders. In addition, most mobile device use occurs on the couch, bed or in other poor postural positions, which can lead to overuse injuries in the wrist, headaches, neck, shoulder and generalised back pain.
- Exceeding recommended screen time use may also take away the opportunity for children to take part in physical activity; a major cause of childhood obesity and fitness decline.
What We Can Do To Help
As a “hands-on” practitioner, Gavin will be offering a thorough 30 minute assessment involving:
01. Observation of your child’s posture
02. Assessment of the way your child uses their mobile technology & advice on correct posture whilst using their technology
03. Commencement of appropriate manual therapy, if clinically supported by observation and physical assessment
04. Education for both parent and child, on balancing technology use with more active pursuits
05. Recommendations including a take home exercise program to address postural muscle strengthening, flexibility & overuse prevention
06. Follow-up appointment if findings suggest continued manual therapy will be beneficial
Postural Assessments
Book an appointment with Gavin to have your child assessed, treated and given recommendations for the safe use of technology. We have allocated Thursdays & Fridays between 2:30 and 7:00 pm for appointments. Assessments costs $80 and private healthcare rebates apply.
Gavin Franks
Physiotherapist
THURSDAY TO FRIDAY:
2:30 to 7.00pm
EMAIL:
info@whittensphysio.com.au
PHONE:
03 9848 9232