Some children like to sit in the “W-sitting” position. In this sitting position, the child sits on the floor, makes a wide base with their legs, and relies on that rather than using their core posture muscles. This sitting position can give a base of support and raise the kid’s stability.
While some children are attracted to this sitting position, it is not suggested for prolonged or frequent use. W-sitting can badly affect a child’s musculoskeletal growth and cause problems like tightness in the legs and hips, delays in motor skills growth, reduced core strength, and poor posture.
Children should be motivated to sit in several types of seating positions, such as side-sitting, cross-legged, or sitting with legs straight out in front of them. These positions promote coordination, better balance, and physical growth.
It is too necessary for parents and health care providers to instruct children towards good and healthy sitting positions and try to guide them to avoid the W-sitting position. If you are worried about your children’s sitting habits, you must make an appointment with your pediatrician for personalized recommendations and instructions.
Causes of W-Sitting
- Having weak core muscles
- Tight Hip Muscles
- Joint Hypermobility
- The habit of W-sitting Position
What Are The Effects of W-Sitting?
W-Sitting Position affects Children’s health in several ways. The effects of W-Sitting can be:
Knee-Foot Distortion: In W-Sitting rotation, the ankles rotate externally, and the knees rotate internally. These rotations may cause musculoskeletal problems, such as tenderness in the tibialis anterior (T.A.) muscle and tightness in the hamstrings.
Hip Distortion: The w-sitting habit in children causes hip distortion and muscle imbalances that affect a child’s gait pattern and strength. This may impact their capacity for correct weight distribution and neutral alignment, leading to an altered gait pattern or compensatory movements.
Less Cross-body coordination: Cross-body coordination plays an essential role in some regular activities, e.g., reaching across the body, crawling, etc. Weight shifting and Trunk Rotation are necessary components of cross-body coordination. The W-sitting position stops these movements. When your child sits in a W-sitting position, the pelvis and trunk are stabilized in a fixed position. Thus, a lack of cross-body coordination affects the child’s muscles.
Bad Growth of the Toe Muscle: One more side effect of the w-sitting position is the poor development of toe muscles.
How To Break W-Sitting Position?
If your child is sitting in a W-position every time, you must prevent it because it may harm your baby. You can correct this bad habit of your child in the following way:
- It would be best to guide your child to sit in different styles, such as crossed-leg sitting.
- You must tell them to sit on a stool or chair, which also reduces the habit of sitting.
- Whenever your child sits in a sitting position, you must give them verbal clues.
- You may also get the help of a pediatrician or physiotherapist to break your child’s w-sitting habit.
- You may tell your child to sit on their bottom straight in front of them.
