Children and SpinaliS - "Spine friendly school"
We want only the best for our children!
Children have a constant need to move. It is as difficult for a child to sit on a fixed chair and constantly bend over books as it is for an adult with an exhausting work schedule. We provide a winning combination for children - movement and sitting at the same time!
Ensure your children active sitting on a SpinaliS chair and prevent back problems.
It is an investment that you will never regret!
For a happy and healthy child
Learning is a challenging cognitive process that takes a lot of energy. A known fact is that sufficient muscle activity during learning contributes to better focus and concentration, while too much or too little muscle tension and strain cause drowsiness or excessive fatigue. SpinaliS helps children to maintain proper posture while sitting, thereby allowing them appropriate muscle activity. It prevents excessive muscle fatigue due to the burdening of the muscles. While sitting on a SpinaliS, the child remains focused for a longer time, more attentive while learning, and getting used to doing their schoolwork in an easier, faster, and playful way.
Project: THE SPINE FRIENDLY SCHOOL
Project "The spine-friendly school” was 5 years long practical research about active sitting with school children, with one of the elementary schools in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Two school classes have been observed between 2006 and 2011. One class was equipped with the usual school chairs, while the second class had SpinaliS chairs designed for children sitting and working at school.
The children were monitored annually by physiotherapists and orthopedic surgeons. Their posture, back muscle strength, and overall condition of the spine were checked. A psychotherapist also verified (through a video) the pupils’ concentration during school work. SpinaliS chairs also affect blood circulation and, consequently, the power of concentration. Video clips and psychological tests designed specifically for this project were performed once a year.
In the first and second year of the research, there were only differences in concentration and the ability to sit still, since children in the first two years of school move a lot. Children sitting on SpinaliS chairs had sufficient movement on the chairs and were less restless and not getting up during class because they could swing and move while sitting. In the comparative class, there were more disturbances with rocking back and forth and more standing up. The results showed that concentration during tests and results were slightly better in the classroom with SpinaliS chairs since the first grade.
In the last comparison of the two classes, the differences were already very obvious: in the classroom with SpinaliS chairs back and abdominal muscles of the children were better developed, posture was better, and there were less overweight children in the class. Here is the Abstract from the Final Report of this research.
The present results show that even children doing sedentary work need active sitting. This is evident from the enthusiasm of children themselves, even more so from their parents, who are very excited about the "spine-friendly school" project.
Hereafter, more elementary schools in Europe did join the program and are offering active sitting to their students. Doc. MUDr. Róbert Rusnák, Ph.D., Neurosurgeon, Head of Neurosurgery Clinic Ruzomberok, Slovakia, Europe
Expert Spine Friendly School project supervisor explains:
"Every day, when I was entering the operating room to try to deal with often fatal consequences, one question would pop up on my mind: "where the problems come from?” I believe, that the fundamental problem is the lack of prevention and therefore I have decided to be a part of a project, whose mission is to fight spinal disorders. I firmly believe that it will help!"
Dr. Janko Popovič, M.D., Orthopaedic surgeon: "Poor posture can be improved."
"When we talk about posture, we think of the posture of the whole body, not just the spine.
We consider the posture normal when the body needs a minimum muscular effort to maintain balance and the spine is at the same time protected against degenerative changes and injuries as much as possible. The period of adolescence is very important for the development of posture because during this time, due to various environmental effects (prolonged sitting, wearing overweight bags in one hand, bending over a desk...), one develops inadequate posture which remains permanent, however, neither reasonable nor effective. A child with poor posture becomes a man with a bad posture. Later in life, these adults are moving around and keeping their balance as well as practicing their profession with significantly greater muscular effort. This may result in exhaustion, lower productivity, and accelerated aging of tissues.
Thankfully, bad posture is often due to insufficient and incorrect muscle activity which can be entirely corrected (as opposed to deformation and other damage) with will and discipline.
The main cause of the occurrence of incorrect or poor posture in children and youth is central nervous system fatigue. Small preschool children are physically very active, especially if they are in an environment that allows for this. When starting school they are suddenly forced to sit quietly for many hours. Then they are given more work at home, which in turn requires sitting.
A new world opens up to the child's mind, while his natural instinct for movement is getting weaker. Lack of movement and the many harmful effects of modern civilization lead to chronic fatigue and to so many examples of poor posture.
In my opinion, the idea of the moving chair seat is one of the important things in preventing poor posture and thus preventing the degeneration of the intervertebral discs. I definitely recommend the SpinaliS chair already during school years because it allows active sitting and strengthens the muscles while allowing the children freedom of movement."