W Sitting Treatment
What is “W” sitting?
“W” sitting means when a child sits with both knee bent & leg turned out away from the body and bottom on floor.
Why children sit in “W” position?
- Increase femoral ante version in children is the most common reason behind.
- Children with weak core muscles- as this position has wider base so they can hold upright with less core muscle strengthen. Like cerebral palsy etc.
- Sometimes some hip pathology is also associated with W sitting position
Is W Sitting harmful?
Usually it is not harmful. But in rare cases it may cause the following
- Children do not use their core muscles much which may lead to weaker shoulder and wrist & may eventually affect fine motor development.
- Children with w position have decreased trunk rotation between right and left and may lead to decrease bilateral coordination
- It may lead to some postural problem and results in back pain in long run
- Constant W sitting may lead to In toeing gait/ Pigeon gait due to inner side muscle weakness in long run
What we can do at home to correct W Sitting?
- Well fitted shoes
- Encourage child to sit in cross leg position
- Increase physical activities like jump, swimming, running and hopping
- Promote using Indian toilet
- Walking along straight line and pigeon walking
- Seek medical advice (pediatric orthopedic) as soon as possible.
- Stretching exercises
