Getting ready for school can be fun and exciting! Children all over North Iowa prepare every autumn by collecting paper, pencils, crayons, notebooks, and other items to dump in their backpacks for the school year. Now is your chance to make another positive and lasting impact on their health. Pay attention to how much your child is carrying in their backpack. Children are smaller than adults, and their bodies are still growing and developing. Unintentionally, sometimes parents weigh their children down with backpacks that are far too heavy and unbalanced. Lower back pain is one of the most common health issues Americans suffer. In many cases, it all starts in childhood with those oversized backpacks. Allow us to offer some supportive advice to protect your family’s health when it comes to proper child backpacks.
SELECTING A BACKPACK IN CLEAR LAKE, IOWA
Take the first step by choosing a new backpack with these tips in mind. A child’s backpack should:
- Be supportive.
- Not put undue stress on any part of a child’s body.
- Be made of lightweight material.
- Have several individualized compartments to help balance out the weight of books, paper, a pencil box, and other items.
- Have padded shoulder straps that are at least two inches wide.
A backpack with a strap that goes around the waist is a bonus feature that can help a young student carry the weight of their school supplies. Even though a larger backpack may carry more stuff, problems can arise if a child wears a backpack that is too big for their body.
PACKING THE BACKPACK
Whether packing a new or a gently-used backpack, distribute the weight of school supplies evenly and try to make sure it weighs less than 15% of the child’s body weight. Ask the child to test the backpack with supplies in it. If the child bends forward slightly to counterbalance the weight on their shoulders, the backpack is too heavy. Rearrange the items by putting the heaviest items in the backpack closest to the child’s body. If the child is still leaning forward after moving items around, send items to school over a couple of days or leave them home.
WEARING THE BACKPACK
Observe the child with their backpack on before they go to school. Adjust the shoulder straps so the pack is close to the child’s body while wearing the backpack. This will distribute the weight of the pack evenly over the spine and prevent misalignment. Encourage kids to use both straps of the backpack so the weight distribution remains equal. Show your child how to bend at the knees to pick up the backpack and remind them not to twist or bend at the waist while wearing it.
POTENTIAL ISSUES OF WEARING A BACKPACK INCORRECTLY
Many people may not be aware that children are at risk for the same types of physical issues as adults when it comes to wearing heavy backpacks. Most Gonstead chiropractors will tell you that children can suffer from many of the same issues as adults. Regular use of a heavy backpack can result in:
- Back and shoulder pain
- Numbness and tingling in the arms
- Poor posture
- Reduced blood flow
- Headache and neck pain
- Distorted natural spine curvature
- Muscle strain caused by overcompensation
For such young students, wearing an improper backpack can set the stage for physical problems later in life. If you have questions about how to proceed or your child is already showing some of the above symptoms, contact us at O’Hara Chiropractic today.
