From cradling a newborn to crawling after a baby to helping a toddler walk, parents want to be fully engaged in each stage of their young child’s life. But along with each amazing stage of development come new demands on the body.
“I feel it in my neck and back,” says Kate Taylor, mom of nine-month old twin girls. “It’s as if I’m constantly slouched forward, whether it’s picking them up from their cribs or helping them stand up and walk.” And she is not alone.
“I have tightness in my neck and shoulders,” says Christine Rose, mom to a four-month-old baby boy, a three-year-old boy, and a five-year-old girl. “Luckily I have a strong back, but I still feel a general weakness in one arm from favouring one side.”
Christina Lisinska, mom of a seven-month-old girl, was surprised by the amount of tension parenting caused. “I went out of my way to stay fit when I was pregnant. I knew this would be hard on my back, so I worked the front and back of my core. But there have been a couple of times that my neck has just gone and I feel like I can’t turn my head for days.”
Amy Brown, owner of Pilates for Life studio in Toronto, has heard this many times before. “I have yet to meet a parent of young children who has no aches or pains“And unfortunately, (for new parents) it can mean a couple of years of bad posture or compromised spinal alignment.”
These aches and pains can manifest themselves in different ways, but parents of young children seem to adopt one of three body postures, depending on the age of their kids.
THE QUESTION MARK
Most common with parents of newborns and infants, this is characterized by the shoulders slumping forward and the chest caving in. Rose is aware of the way her movements are affecting her posture. “I have less mobility in my neck right now from holding and nursing my youngest and, because I’m not sleeping well, I’m more tense.”
“Mothers are probably the most affected because of nursing or bottle-feeding,” says Lois Piper, a registered massage therapist who treats parents with kids of all ages. “The front of the neck muscles and the chest get tight from keeping your head down to look at the baby.” This can lead to pain in the neck, back and shoulders, and can also result in tension headaches.
THE FIX: Try a standing chest stretch. Stand up (we know - what were the chances you were sitting down, anyway?) and clasp hands behind your back. Draw the shoulders blade towards one another and downwards, as you lift your arms up.
THE HIP CHECK
This posture is a result of carrying a child on one hip and completing tasks with the opposite arm. The body adopts a sideways tilt to compensate, which causes the spine to go out of alignment.
Sarah Patterson, mother of nineteen-month old and four-year-old boys knows this all too well. “Both my boys needed to be carried a lot. Even now, when I’m out walking, I’m usually pushing the stroller and carrying one child on my hip. I know I compensate with my back and neck because I always feel it later.”
Piper says this is possibly the hardest posture on a parent’s body and the one adopted over the longest period as well. Being either right or left-handed, “we naturally favour one side,” she explains. This posture can cause lower back pain, strain in the shoulder area and neck, and an imbalance of the hips.
THE FIX: Use a side stretch to balance things out. While standing, stretch your right arm overhead. Lengthen through the spine and bend sideways to the left, sliding the left hand down the side of the left leg. Repeat on other side. (Spend twice as long stretching out the side of the body you favour when carrying your child).
THE FORWARD FOLD
From lifting babies out of the crib, stroller or carseat, or bending over to help a toddler walk, this posture mimics the image of a body far older than it is. With a slight lean of the chest, and the buttocks shifting back, the body looks as if it is forward heavy. This puts undue strain on the back and neck. “Generally, we’re not used to bending down and lifting or moving a squirming weight. It can really jar the body. Especially when our muscles are cold, like picking a baby up from their crib in the middle of the night,” Brown says.
Our back muscles and spine are most at risk with this posture. As Taylor says, “I’ll periodically stretch my arms and shoulders back, and ask myself how long it’s been since I’ve been slumped forward. It often feels like days.”
THE FIX: Find relief with this lunge and arm extension. From a standing position, step forward into a lunge with the right leg. Extend your arms up overhead with palms facing one another. Repeat on other side.
Clearly, moms and dads cannot avoid feeding their infant, lifting their child out of the crib or helping their toddler walk, so here are four more tips to help parents keep pace with their kids with as little pain as possible.
Be Aware
If a parent is in tune with their physical body, it is easier to prevent or counteract negative stress on the muscles and joints. “Taking care of yourself can be a challenge when your focus is on another little being,” says Piper, “but do what you can because in the end you’ll be able to take better care of the ones you’re caring for.” Brown has this suggestion: “Be aware by taking a breath, taking a split second to set yourself up in a stable position before you do any awkward lifting. And be extra conscious of your movements.”
Keep a strong core, strong legs and neutral back
The spine and back muscles take the brunt of the physical stresses of parenting. When you must bend forward, Brown recommends hinging from the hips while pulling the belly button towards the spine. If you’re helping a toddler walk, aim to get down to his or her level. “Try to keep the back in a neutral position and almost go into a half-squat instead of stooping over,” suggests Piper. “It’s also good workout for your legs.” Of course, parents can’t walk in a squat all the time, but as much as possible attempt to limit strain on the back.
Do one movement at a time
The act of twisting and lifting all at once is a common cause of back injury because it puts a strain on the spine when in a weak position. If you’re taking the kids in and out of the crib, the carseat, the high chair, or any movement that involves more than one plane of motion (flexion and rotation), aim to move in one direction, then the other, instead of both at the same time.
Take a break
Ideally, parents would have time to stretch, exercise, and combat the tensions that arise during the day. But not everyone can get to a yoga class or Pilates workout, or even manage a brisk walk. Eventually these physical stresses can become debilitating. “Small stretching breaks are the easiest for people to do,” says Piper. If you spend most of the day carrying your infant on one hip, “put your child down, and do a quick side-bend stretch in the opposite direction. Tiny stretches throughout the day don’t seem as onerous as putting the yoga mat down.”
When it comes to parenting, staying physically healthy not only improves quality of life and quality of time spent with the kids, it is also a great example to set for your children as they grow up.
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source: The Toronto Star
