CARRY IT CORRECTLY

Carry it Correctly

Well, it’s time to head back to school! For many kids, one of the most exciting things about this time of year is all the new clothes and gear. One very important item that deserves extra attention is your child’s backpack. You want to be sure that they have a good one, that it’s packed properly and that they are wearing it correctly. An improperly worn backpack can promote poor posture and set the stage for long-term damage to their developing spines.

The most spine-friendly backpacks have two thickly-padded straps and a waist buckle, all of which should be used! When the pack is slung over only one shoulder it misaligns the spine and changes overall posture. Also, you’ll want to be sure that the heaviest items are packed closest to the body to avoid extra strain. Another good general rule is that the pack should weigh no more than 15% of your child’s body weight. Most backpacks are packed far too heavy. This often causes the child to lean forward, which results in increased stress on the back and neck. Try to encourage your child to stop by his/her locker between classes instead of carrying everything at once, and see if extra copies of textbooks are available so they don’t have to be lugged back and forth from school.

You can do a quick check of your child’s posture at home. First, stand behind your child and have your child close his/her eyes. See if ears, shoulders and hips are level. If not, there may be an underlying spinal curvature. Also check the side view: the ears, shoulders, hips and knees should all be in line with one another. Then do this same quick check with the child wearing the backpack to be sure that his or her posture is still good. If you have any questions about backpack safety, feel free to ask Dr. Brandon at The Joint Mount Pleasant.

Shouldering Too Heavy a Load

Day after day, year after year, children trot off to school carrying a significant burden with them: their backpack. Backpack weight is a major health issue, and it's only getting worse. Here's what you can do about it.

Do you know what's in your child's backpack, how much it weighs, or how that weight is affecting their neck, shoulders, back and spine? You need to know, because studies suggest far too many children are carrying far too heavy loads to and from school, and with serious consequences.

For example, a 2003 study in “Spine” found a significant relationship between the incidence of lower back pain among schoolchildren (ages 12-18) and both the weight of their backpacks and the amount of time the backpacks were used. Some backpacks were inordinately heavy; 18.9 percent of the students surveyed carried backpacks that weighed more than “20 percent” of the student's body weight when full.

In another study, published in the same journal a year earlier, four of five children said their backpacks were heavy, and two-thirds said they felt fatigue when carrying theirs. The study also showed that lifetime prevalence of low back pain was related to the amount of time children carried backpacks on their shoulders.

Not very good news, is it? So, what can you do as a parent to help your children in this regard? Here are a few simple suggestions courtesy of The Joint Chiropractic in Mount Pleasant:
*Make sure your child's backpack weighs no more than 10 percent of their body weight.
*Also ensure that it doesn't hang more than 4 inches below their waistline.
*Urge your child to wear both shoulder straps.
*The straps should be adjustable so the backpack can be easily fitted to your child's body.
*Look for a backpack with a lumbar support or pad and make sure pad fits or rides in curve of low back. Some backpacks have a waist belt that can be used also to minimize stress.