Most Parents Can Help Their Kids Avoid Backpack Injuries!

1. Know How To Choose A Backpack

Choosing a backpack seems simple enough, but not knowing the basics of what to look for can cause harm down the road Your child may have a problem if...

• You don’t choose a backpack that’s appropriate for your child’s size and age. Most people think that a backpack is a backpack is a backpack, without realizing that there many different sizes available, Just because it has a picture of Mickey Mouse on it does not mean that it was designed to fit a young child.

• The backpack you choose does not have enough padding in the shoulder straps or worse yet, thin straps with no padding at all. If there is not enough padding on the straps the pack can press on delicate blood vessels and nerves that run into the arms and hands. This can cause a problem called “rucksack palsy”, a fancy name that means numbness in the arms and hands that can lead to muscle damage and in severe cases, nerve damage.

• You buy the backpack without testing it out. A very simple way to purchase the right backpack is to take along the books and supplies that will be carried in the pack. Load it up and take a hike around the store. This will let your child know how the pack ‘feels’ when its fully loaded.

2. Know How To Load A Backpack – And Teach Your Child

These little known secrets on how to load a backpack are some of the simplest tips you can learn to avoid injury. When loading a backpack …

• Never allow your child to carry more than 15% of his or her body weight. That means a child who weighs 100 pounds should not carry a school backpack that weighs more than 15 pounds. Studies show that students who carried packs that weigh 25% of their body weight exhibited balance problems while performing normal activities such as climbing stairs or opening doors, in turn upping their risk of falls and injuries.

• Load the heaviest items closest to the child’s back. This prevents it from being ’top heavy’, which puts added stress on the neck, shoulder and back. A top heavy backpack can also be responsible for the falls we were just talking about.

• Pack items neatly and organized to keep books and materials form sliding around in the pack and shifting the weight.

3. Teach Your Kids The Correct Way To Carry A Backpack ... And How Not To Carry A Backpack.

I would say that most kids know the basics on how to wear a backpack but many kids simply don’t do it, it’s not ‘cool’. But surprisingly, not many parents or kids know how to fine-tune the fit a backpack. When wearing a backpack…

• The most basic solution is always wear both shoulder straps to distribute the weight evenly. This is the one that every one know, but few do it. Never allow your child to wear a backpack slung over one shoulder. This can cause your child to lean ton one side, add extra stress to the neck, shoulder and back muscles and curve the spine (scoliosis).

• To properly fit the pack, adjust the straps so that the pack fits snugly on your child’s back. A pack that hangs lousily from their back can pull them backwards and strain muscles between the shoulders, throwing them off balance and once again, cause injuries.

• ALWAYS make sure that the bottom of the pack rests in the curves of the lower back. Any time that the bottom of the pack rests more than four inches below the waistline, it is putting too much stress on the shoulders. This can also be another one of the causes of ‘rucksack palsy’. Currently the industry is fashion focused and has ignored the many consumer and professional concerns regarding the ergonomics of packs. The backpack manufacturers are sidestepping the issue and blaming this problem on schools and the increased academics that require students to lug around more than 10% (as much as 40%) of their body weight. Look for a backpack system that has been designed to move heavy pack weight off the upper back and places it safely on the lower back, relieving strain and encouraging good posture.

If Your Child Is Already Suffering From Backpack “Overload” And Experiencing Back Pain, There Is Still Some Good News For You!

If your child is complaining of aches and pains at this early stage in their life, it’s not normal. ALL those slips, trips and falls they have experienced can cause postural problems. Even the perfect back pack can be like a hammer hitting a bent nail, making things worse every time your child goes to school. Especially if they have not had a recent checkup by a trained specialist, someone experienced in monitoring the growth of children. Not only are Doctors of Chiropractic trained in helping children with back and neck pain due to improper backpack loading, we are also trained in finding the source of the problem that’s causing the pain.