A team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has revealed this in a two-year study conducted in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Increasing screen time and lack of physical activity in modern lifestyles are leading to a rapid increase in muscle and bone-related problems among adolescents. Traditional habits such as squatting, eating cross-legged, or walking barefoot, which kept the body flexible, are being left behind.
Instead, children and adolescents are spending hours hunched over mobile phones, tablets, or computers, while six to seven hours of continuous sitting at school and lack of exercise are leading to posture disorders. A team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has revealed this in a two-year study conducted in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Based on the study, experts have recommended incorporating physiotherapy into the school curriculum to improve adolescent health and prevent injuries. AIIMS monitored 380 students aged 15 to 18 from two private schools in Delhi from October 2023. During this period, a thorough analysis was conducted on their daily routine, sitting habits, and health.
The study found that most adolescents suffer from posture-related problems, such as forward slouching, neck and shoulder pain, lower back pain, iliotibial band tightness, flat feet, and hamstring stiffness. Experts argue that traditional activities, such as playing or sitting on the floor before stretching, maintain flexibility, but modern lifestyles are taking away these benefits.
The adolescents with problems received 12 weeks of physiotherapy, after which they were monitored for a further 24 weeks. The results showed that children not only experienced reduced muscle and bone-related problems, but also experienced significant improvements in their posture. According to AIIMS experts, physiotherapy not only corrects existing disorders but also helps develop lifelong healthy habits.
They recommended that physiotherapy be made compulsory in schools, especially for proper training and injury prevention during sports activities. This can strengthen musculoskeletal health in adolescents and prevent serious illnesses in the future.
Leave a Reply