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World Spine Day Fun At TBC

World Spine Day Fun at TBC

Below is the article that we are submitting to the World Spine Day co-ordinators about what we got up to here at Tasman Bay Chiropractic to recognise World Spine Day.

World Spine Day 2019
#GetSpineActive

Objective
To visit classes at primary schools attended by team members’ children and educate the next generation on the importance of their spinal health and ‘getting spine active’.

To use existing social media platforms and the practice noticeboard to ensure as many folk as possible know it is World Spine Day on 16 October.

Activity
In the Schools
Our involvement was with three different classes and age groups:

  • Room 17 at Henley School – a year 2 class of 6 & 7 years olds – was read the Chiroman book by Bronwyn (CA) and shown and discussed a spine model to help them understand what the spine looks like; also given Straighten Up NZ pdf handout of spine stretches
  • Room 1 at Henley School – a year 5 & 6 class with 10 & 11 year olds – had a week of spine related research and learning from their class teacher initiated by our asking to speak to the class around World Spine Day! Hamish (DC) and Bronwyn discussed the model of the spine and why it is important to make spinal health part of their daily routine.

Hamish challenged their thinking with “Don’t just clean your teeth twice a day but make spinal health just as important and stretch daily!”

  • Hamish and Elise (CA) went along to visit Weka class at Saint Paul’s Primary School who are aged 9 & 10. The children were all very enthusiastic and keen to learn. Hamish brought his spine along and led conversation around the five senses and then the “surprise” sixth sense, proprioception, was discussed.
  • We had heaps of fun and had the children bend their bodies laying down to spell “Active Spine”. 

Visits were followed up with questionnaires to the teachers which elicited positive feedback and a willingness to repeat the exercise.

Digital Activity

  • Facebook Cover Photo changed to image with team members in active spine photos and World Spine Day logo on 30 September
  • Profile pic frame shared and promoted via Facebook featuring balloons and WSD logos
  • In the 10 days leading up to WSD, five of theWSD supplied images were posted on Facebook with relevant linking comments
  • Website published NZCA’s WSD media released
  • Facebook linked to website post
  • Google site updated with photos promoting WSD
  • Specific team WSD active spine photo staged and published

On the practice noticeboard – A4 photos of:

  • team members in ‘active spine’ shots
  • Hamish in front of the class at school visits discussing a spine
  • school students ‘playing with’ proprioception (as above)
  • school students forming ‘active spine’ on the ground using their bodies to form the letters (as above)
  • specific team WSD active spine pose

Summary
Our classroom activity allowed us the opportunity to provide information on the spine and how to take care of it. The main focus was on educating children to take care of their bodies better – we are aware that it’s easier to grow and educate healthy children than it is to try and fix broken adults.
The discussion focused on the functions of the spine including:

  •  protection of the spinal cord
  • attachment site for muscles to allow us to move and provide our brain with proprioceptive information (the ability of the brain to be aware of where the body is in space)
  • the major motions of the spine (flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation)
  • how to stretch the spine to maintain flexibility and posture. 

Overall the children had fun and were full of interesting questions about their spines and how to look after them in the future, including what would happen if they did not! Classroom teachers were very positive about the interaction – where the information was pitched, how it was presented and how Dr Hamish interacted with the children.

Social media impact is hard to measure but our activity generated a good number of comments from our patients.


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