HEALTH NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 20015, 1 November 1926, Page 10

HEALTH NOTES

CORRECT POSTURE. ITS IMPORTANCE IN LIFE. SOME ESSENTIALS TO HEALTH. (Contributed by the Department of Health.) The erect posture belongs to man alone of all the animals. - It is his bad.*? of superiority. For his first year he is either a helpless infant or a young animal progressing on all fours. At the end of his first year the instinct to stand erect asserts itself—the creeping child obeys the impulse and makes awkward efforts to acquire a new attitude, and a new means of progression. When he finally succeeds in standing erect some adjustments of his bodily framework and his muscular system has taken place. His spine now shows three main curves—a forward curve in the neck, a backward curve in the dorsal region, and a forward curve in the lumbar region. It is owing to the exaggeration or imperfect development of these curves that the characteristic deformities associated with faulty posture become evident. In young children the lumbar curve is very marked, and this fact causes the abdomen to be relatively prominent. As the child grows up, however, this curve diminishes and the chest becomes relatively more prominent than the abdomen. GOOD AND FAULTY POSTURE. Good posture promotes good health, and the person who has not achieved it loses much in physical efficiency. In the correct standing posture a side view of the body will show that the ear, shoulder joint, hip joint, knee and instep, are in the same vertical plane, the chest is expanded and the abdomen muscles are contracted, the curves of the back are not exaggerated* The typical faulty posture shows drooping head, flat chest, round shoulders, and prominent abdomen; vitality is depressed and bodily mechanism out of gear; the lungs are cramped and the abdominal organs tend to sag. Faulty posture thus places a handicap upon all the organs of the body. The maintenance of the erect posture is achieved by muscular activity which is controlled by the nervous system. Faulty posture, therefore, may indicate primarily inefficient nerve tone, and the bodily attitude is always eloquent of the mental condition. No one will dispute the value of good bearing as a business asset; it endows its owner with a reputation for capability and general efficiency, while the man with round shoulders and slouching gait is not readily given full credit for the talents which he possesses. SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED. In consideration, therefore, of the importance of good posture in preserving the health of the individual and of the part played by bad posture in aggravating or prolonging diseases, certain measures as preventative and curative are recommended. None of those things which are fundamentally essential to bodily health should be neglected. The life should be ordered, therefore, as to permit of good simple food, adequate rest, appropriate exercises, sunlight and fresh air. A contributory factor in poor physical development also is the use of incorrect clothing and footwear. Clothing should be so cut that the weight falls on the root of the neck at the back and the inner part of the shoulders, and there should be no constriction of the body. Shoes which are too tight or too short or which have heels so high as to prevent correct bodily balance are very harmful. VALUE OF REST. The importance of rest for individuals suffering from faulty posture is not sufficiently recognised. As seen above, a faulty posture may be an expression of fatigue, and it is therefore quite wrong to attempt to correct it by enforcing severe remedial exercises. Little children with faulty posture sometimes improve remarkably when the regime is altered so as to permit of lying down for a large part of each day in the open air in a correct position, with frequent short spells of exercises designed to give control of the trunk muscles. The fact that many growing children are unfit to maintain the upright position continually for long spells or for the whole of an adult working day is not taken into account sufficiently in the organisation of schools. The child with the store of vigour benefits his muscles by the varied attitude of active play; the weakly child when school is over slouches in a chair at home and continues the evil process. The child’s body at this age is very plastic, as is also his mind. Under favourable conditions it is a comparatively simple thing to brace up the defective muscular nervous system so that the body is held erect. NUTRITION. Defective nutrition and home surroundings must be dealt with through the parents. It is satisfactory to know that, though there is still great room for improvement, the tendency at school nowadays is to give the child’s developing body a better chance. One of the most striking features of modern educational methods is the stress that is laid on necessity for freedom for the growing child and the curriculum is so designed that an increasing amount of activity is permitted. Nevertheless there is room for many improvements, and there is no doubt that especially the younger children would benefit greatly by more frequent periods of absolute bodily relaxation. For the adult especially with faulty posture physical training is often beneficial, though it should not be continued without regard to the observance of the simple rules of health as above indicated. EXERCISES. Those with sedentary and indoor occupations should make an effort to spend at least a portion of each day in the open air. Walking to one’s office when practicable is a better means of progression than riding in a tramcar. Outdoor exercise of a type suited to the years of the individual is of value, though it is unscientific and harmful for a man of mature years to indulge in violent athletic training. It is a safe rule, however, to see that the lungs are fully expanded for at least a few minutes each day. If other means of obtaining this are not at hand, a few simple deep breathing exercises, preferably in the open air, will be of great benefit. BEAR IN MIND. Under favourable circumstances it is a comparatively simple thing to brace up defective muscles and nervous system so that the body is held erect. Physical exercise, cleanliness, fresh air, sunlight, and suitable food assist to develop and maintain a posture essential for good health. Parents should remember that a child’s body and mind are very plastic, and from early years they should be trained in correct habit of body and mind, for “as the twig is bent so the tree is inclined.”