Faber through the eyes of a physiotherapist
Faber is at first sight a very interesting product. But the real potential of the product is not immediately visible. I will try to explain you how it affects, how it shapes and influences an individual. And last but not least, I will explain why it is important nowadays to support the development of a child so that his or her body works as a perfect functional whole.
Modern approaches in physiotherapy are most often based on the developmental kinesiology of the child. Childhood is considered a crucial period in human development. There are certain stereotypes of movement with which we are born. Your child knows how to handle the first steps naturally, how to grab a toy or jump off a step. Unfortunately, today's way of life destines us to lose or destroy natural movements before we can develop and consolidate them. This is not necessarily necessary. As a parent, you have great power over your child's health.
Deliberately devote your time to your child and focus on movement stereotypes and posture in activities such as the use of technology such as watching TV, playing on a computer or tablet, or sitting on a chair. At first glance you will be interested in physical passivity. However, if you you take closer look, you may notice pathologies such as forward shoulders, forward movement, pelvic tipping, and increased lordotic and kyphotic spine curves. These are all features of a typically defective posture.
On the Faber climbing frame, the child performs an active movement that is natural to him and results from the passion of play. The child does not have to sit when drawing. Try sitting alone in front of the Faber board and see how long you can stay in one position. The way the board is placed guides the person to move. The child chooses a squat, a stand or a knee, a position essential for torso stability. When climbing, he chooses tactics and strategy of performing emotional motivation associated with the game. Watch your child's shoulder blades as they clamp to the torso as they climb in the upper limb, while the pectoral muscle opens and stretches. Involvement of gluteal and abdominal muscles, which stabilize the pelvis and give the body the possibility of support. During these movements, the quality of the muscle corset is supported and properly developed, because physiologically we are predestined that certain muscle groups are shortened or weakened.
The variability of the climbing frames gives children the possibility to use and engage the entire musculoskeletal system. It is an amazing tool for developing body coordination within fine and coarse motor skills. Choosing a grip strategy, performing whole body movement or eye-hand coordination perfectly stimulates the development of the motor skills. All this supports the development of naturally correct movement stereotypes of the body. Properly acquired movement stereotypes are essential for the future elimination of your child's pain.
In my practice, I often hear that the patient's difficulties are normal due to age. But I can than in most of the cases age is a secondary factor. Yes, the body system is aging, but lack of exercise and the subsequent decline in physical activity with age is the main factor. The lack of a sufficient relationship to movement in childhood is decisive for how we like to move repeatedly with increasing age.
Bc. Zdeněk Ouzký - renowned Czech physiotherapist and former external physiotherapist of the Czech athletic team