Postural problems: Badly designed school chairs and desks are resulting in poor posture in children and are a major cause of adult back pain, according to the chairman of the Irish Society of Alexander Technique Teachers (ISATT), Richard Brennan, writes Sylvia Thompson
According to Mr Brennan, up to 90 per cent of back pain in adults is caused by poor seating in school.
"Most children leave school with really bad posture which is due to a combination of lack of movement due to sitting for long periods, bad furniture and carrying heavy school bags," said Mr Brennan.
The chairman of ISATT believes that school furniture is the biggest problem.
"School chairs slope backwards which means children can't use their hip joints to place their feet on the floor. So instead, they have no alternative but to bend their backs," said Mr Brennan.
He adds that many children try to redress poor posture by tilting their chair forwards but this habit is discouraged due to the inherent risks of falling.
Mr Brennan's comments are echoed in a new report from the UK charity, Back Care, entitled Back Pain in Children and Young People. A review of studies found that poor sitting posture was the most common factor associated with increased frequency of back pain.
One study found that the use of a seat wedge was associated with a significant reduction in intensity and frequency of back pain.
The Alexander Technique is a method of reducing muscular tension through a re-learning of good posture. Alexander Technique teaches people to correct poor posture through a series of lessons which focuses on everyday actions such as sitting, walking, brushing your teeth and work-related movements.
John Carr, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Association, suggests that school furniture should be adjustable to suit differing tasks and needs of pupils.
"If there is evidence that points to school furniture causing poor posture in children, then we need to look at the possibilities of introducing adjustable chairs and tables in schools. Such furniture could be phased in over a number of years," he said.
Richard Brennan has been lobbying the Department of Health and the Department of Education to improve school furniture for a number of years with no success. He has recently worked with Dublin-based furniture manufacturer Arise Europe to design a prototype of forward-slanting school chairs.
One school has already expressed interest in purchasing these chairs for its classrooms.