Low quality backpacks and/or improper backpack techniques can cause serious short term and potentially long-term back and spinal problems.
Here is a checklist for parents:
Is the backpack the correct size for your child? The backpack should never be wider or longer than your child's torso and the pack should not hang lower than 4 inches below the waist.
Does the backpack have two wide, padded shoulder straps? Lugging a heavy backpack by one strap can cause neck muscle spasms, as well as low back pain.
Is there a waist belt? This will help distribute the weight of a heavy load from the back and shoulders to the hips and torso.
Does the pack have several compartments? A backpack with individualized compartments helps position the contents more effectively
(excerpted from an article by the ACA, August 2005)
In addition to the great hints listed above, I would like to add a couple of thoughts. First, most people have one leg that is slightly shorter than the other. This is due to either a true short leg or a discrepancy in muscle balance. Secondly, in the middle school years is when scoliosis, curvature of the spine, starts to become an issue, especially with girls.
A child carrying a heavy pack with the altered gait caused by a true leg length difference, muscular imbalance or a spinal curvature is increasing their risk for injury even with the best backpack.
Checking for a leg length difference or spinal curvature is fast, easy and absolutely painless. We provide this service for our patient's children at no charge. I advise that before your child carries a heavy backpack that you bring them in for this simple check.
No comments:
Post a Comment