subject: Tucson Chiropractor Warning: Is Your Childs Backpack Too Heavy? [print this page] Well, its back to school time again and many parents will be buying new backpacks for their children. It is extremely important that parents shop smart for a backpack for their child. Unfortunately, childrens backpacks are getting heavy with all the things needed for school but as parents you can help lighten the load.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 6,000 children a year go to the emergency room for neck and back pain. More and more ER doctors are seeing this pain caused by the childs backpack. So, as parents, our job is to help alleviate this problem of backpacks causing pain for our children. You can do this by following theses helpful tips.
Backpack Weight When the backpack is packed with school supplies, lunch, water bottle and other essentials it should not exceed 10-15% of your childs weight.
Wear Backpack Correctly Even though it maybe cool to only wear the backpack with one strap in your childs mind, it is essential that they wear the backpack correctly using both straps. This will evenly distribute the weight of the backpack.
Waist Belt Select a backpack that has a waist belt and encourage your child to use it. When this waist belt is adjusted properly it will distribute most of the weight of the backpack on the hips and away from the shoulders and upper back.
Tight Straps and Padding When adjusting the straps on the backpack make sure they are tight so the backpack is tight up against your childs body. Also look for a backpack that has padding in the lower back area.
Smart Packing Pack heavy items at the bottom of the backpack and try to evenly distribute other items throughout the backpack.
Opt for Wheels A smart way to go is to get a backpack that has wheels that your child can roll around. This will get that heavy backpack off their backs.
So, as you can see, if you keep this tips in mind when selecting and packing your childs backpack this school year you can greatly reduce any back pain with backpack wear.
by: RJ Percell
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