The importance of screening in the evaluation Of faulty posture in children

The aim of the following work is to evaluate faulty posture rate among kindergarten children. The following article describes the objective and the character of the promotional and prophylactic program conducted by the Wrocław City Council (Urząd Miasta Wrocławia) concerning the “Keep straight” (“Trzymaj się prosto”) campaign. The program includes youth between age of seven and seventeen in whom slight symptoms of faulty posture, concerning lower limbs and the spine, were revealed during examination. The only prophylactic activity assumed by the “Keep it straight” campaign are corrective exercises in gymnasium and swimming pool. The screening of the children and youth also allows introductional diagnostics and recognition of permanent faults and direction of the patients to specialist treatment in orthopedic and rehabilitation clinics. The screening was conducted on the verge of October and November 2007. A physical posture examination method was used to evaluate the faults that appeared. The children from five of Wrocław`s kindergartens were examined. The following work presents the symptomatology of the most frequent faults and highlights the necessity of conducting prophylactic activity at a very young age. The faulty posture is a serious diagnostic and therapeutic problem among young children and can be a source of severe health problems in their future. 373 children were examined. Faulty posture was revealed among 295 what represents 79,08% of the patients; 78 were described as healthy (20,92%). There were 160 boys (80,8%) and 135 girls (77,14%) in the group with faulty posture. There were 38 (19,2%) boys without faulty posture and 40 (22,86%) girls in the same group.