Just Say “No” to W-sitting!
Written by Lauren on June 13, 2008 – 3:23 pm - |
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You know the feeling you get when you hear fingernails running down a chalk board? You close your eyes, get the chills and possibly even shake? I get a similar feeling when I see children sitting in a W- position.
What is W-sitting and why is it harmful? W-sitting is one of many positions that children choose when sitting on the ground. Unfortunately, I notice that it is preferred. Correct sitting postures assist children in developing trunk control and rotation which is necessary for reaching across the body, also known as crossing mid line. Children need these skills to develop a variety of motor skills including balance and hand dominance. W- sitting does not assist in developing these skills and even leads to future orthopedic problems including hip dislocation and the aggravation of muscle tightness.
Why do children W-sit? Children find it easier to sit in the W-position than other positions. It allows them to sit in a fixed, stable, position and they don’t need to concentrate on keeping their balance. W-sitting offers trunk and hip stability which allows for easier toy manipulation when children are on the ground. It does not allow for rotation or the opportunity to cross midline.
What can you do to help avoid W-sitting?Help the child avoid making a habit out of W-sitting. Place the child on the ground in a side sitting position where their legs are off to the side. You can also promote long sitting where the legs are placed straight in front of the child or tailor sitting where the legs are crossed. Demonstrate these positions for your child and remind them to fix their sitting if you notice them referring to the W position. If the child is unable to sit in these correct positions they may need help supporting their trunk. Have them sit in a tailor position with their back against the couch or chair.
Credit: Jean McNamara
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Tags: Gross Motor, Parents
Posted in General, Gross Motor, Parents |
October 5th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Hi! This is an interesting article. I sat in the ‘W’ position when I was a child, and now, at 20, I don’t have any motor disfunctions, but when I run, my feet flick out to the side behind me and I look silly. So does my sister. I do, however, get major cramps through my hips sometimes. Perhaps it is related to this issue.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:47 am
I would like to see a study on this. I sat this way as a child and I have no problems. I am unsure why flexibility as bad. I encourage ambidextrous activities. I would like to read various educated studies so that I might change my approach.
December 17th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I am a pediatrician in Wisconsin and have trained in three different states, including with multiple pediatric orthopedists.
I have not been aware that any orthopedic physicians have recommended against “W” sitting for orthopedic reasons.
The citation listed here is the opinion of the author (Jean McNamara), cited above. However, there are no scientific references provided.
It’s possible that therapists agree with the assertions made here, but, for the record, I have not found that orthopedists do.
John E, MD, Appleton WI
December 27th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
My 16 mo old daughter has physiological bowing of her lower legs and some internal tibial torsion. We have been advised by both a physical therapist and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon to keep her from sitting in the “w” position, which is her preferred sitting position. She also prefers to sleep prone with her knees tucked underneath her. The orthopedic surgeon felt that correcting this sitting and sleeping position would prevent her from needing KFO braces. We will return in 4 months for repeat x-rays to determine if these changes in positioning helped.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
seems to me that W siting should be encoraged in moderation and that reaching across the body and and hand dominance should infact be discoraged im 17 im not ambedextrous I am right handed but It seems to me this is a result of misguided educational practices such as segragation and such as sepeate lines for high jump and I rember being scolded for doing my writeing with my left hand at school and they made me do it again with my right hand and forbid me doing it again YIKES I mean what sort of teachers do we have in school 1000 impractical classes and while it would seem to make sence to do both left hand and right hand writeing practice they are your right handed (because u pick your pencil up with it) so use your right hand….. basicly I think I could be ambidextrous if school did not force a path of hand dominance (this was in primary school grade 1-3 then I started homeschool irreguardless the damage was done right handed for life I mean yah I could train my left hand but it will never be the same as a true ambidextrous)
April 29th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Take it from me - a former W-sitter - this is NOT a good thing! My feet do as Harriet’s above do. My hips are too flexible, causing my knees to turn in and my feet to be flat. It affects my walking, running and swimming (not to mention the knee and hip pains I get). I went to an orthotic guy & he saw me walk 2 steps & said “you were a w-sitter!” He said orthotics would be putting a band-aid on it, not fixing the problem, and I really needed to learn to walk correctly. The physical therapist said the same thing after 2 steps “you were a w-sitter!” My mom feels guilty, but nobody ever told her. Besides, I’m functional - just not super coordinated!
July 7th, 2009 at 12:51 am
my doughter in law also sitting like this so i am in so tension can help me. my elders are not supporting and not understanding my problem. her age is 8year and another age is 1 year. so please send me mail. i am waiting .
April 25th, 2010 at 9:51 am
That was the very same article I found on the web when researching the subject - thank you.
May 12th, 2010 at 7:19 am
W sitting is not liked by the developmental therapists generally. Whether it has any adverse effect orthopedic ally I don’t know but it does impair the development of the child(weight shift[lateral],trunk rotation etc) This becomes a major issue among the special children (CP,MR,DS). For normal children it is not a problem if they r able to come out of it on their own
May 24th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Our orthopedist concluded that our daughter sits this way due to femoral anteversion. This is the way she is comfortable, and sitting crossed legged or with her legs out in front of her is obviously not comfortable for her. We were told to let her sit however she feels comfortable, and that over time the condition will correct itself.
June 4th, 2010 at 12:12 am
I think it’s good to make sure people are not W sitting all the time. This is for aforementioned reasons such as learning to stabilize one’s torso using core muscles…
As well, the hips are so internally/medially rotated that the muscles which perform that function would become short and tight.
I am worried about going to the extent of abandoning W-sitting altogether though. The reason is, could it not cause an inverse problem? When we sit cross-legged, while it stretches the adductors and internal rotators, the muscles which externally rotate and abduct the hips become weak. These muscles are very important for keeping agonist-antagonist balance and in stabilizing the pelvis over the femur during running.
I think based on this conditioning, most of us have lost the ability to adequately internally rotate the hip to be able to sit in W. It’s a skill I think may be beneficial to have.