Make sure your child has the right backpack for spinal health!
Yep, it’s that time again – as summer winds down, we’re just around the corner from school coming back in session. Right about now, families are shopping for new clothes, shoes, and other gear to prepare their student-age children in Phoenix AZ to look and feel their best as they wait for buses and walk the halls of their schools.
But when it comes to choosing a backpack for your kids, you should consider more than just the design that pays tribute to a favorite football team, movie character or musician. When it comes to your kids’ spinal health, there’s no item more appropriate to choose “function over fashion” than their backpack.
Chiropractors have long recognized the spinal health hazards of heavy backpack use. Not only can it be painful, but it can also lead to significant health concerns.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, backpack-related injuries send an estimated 5,000 children a year to emergency rooms. More than 14,000 children are treated annually for injuries.
Choosing the right backpack for your children In Phoenix AZ
There are several factors to consider when choosing a “healthy backpack” for your kids. Here are just a few tips to prevent spinal problems from occurring in your children:
- When looking for backpacks, look for ones that are not heavy when empty. This means giving careful consideration to the material the backpack is made from – fabrics like nylon and canvas are much lighter than leather.
- Don’t carry too much weight. With each book you put in the backpack, or carry a laptop computer, the total weight of the backpack will add up quickly, so remember:
- For younger kids, the weight of the bag should not exceed 10% of their body weight.
- For older kids and adults, it shouldn’t exceed 15% of their body weight.
- Distribute the weight evenly. If your child’s backpack has multiple compartments, it will be easier to evenly distribute the weight of the items inside. The heaviest items should be packed low and toward the center of the bag. Keep water bottles on the outside pockets.
- Choose wide backpacks with “S” shaped shoulder straps, which will ergonomically contour your child’s body. Narrow straps dig painfully into shoulders and can hinder circulation, causing numbness or tingling in the arms, which over time may cause weakness in the hands. Padded shoulder straps help absorb the load.
- Remember to tighten the shoulder straps so the pack fits close to the upper part of their back. The further a backpack’s load is from your back, the more it pulls you backward and strains muscles between your shoulders and can cause Forward Head Posture or Text Neck. Forward Head Posture may lead to decreased focus, decreased lung capacity and headaches.
- Use both shoulder straps when carrying the bag. Wearing both straps can also help distribute the weight more evenly and prevent your child from leaning to one side, which can cause pain in the neck, back, or shoulders. It also makes losing their balance less likely.
- Look for backpacks with a built-in back support, lumbar cushioning and waist strap.
- Using the waist strap holds the contents closer to your child’s back, which can help them maintain balance and protect their low back. Low back injuries can lead to shin splint pain and bowel issues, like constipation.
These pictures illustrate the difference between a properly fitted and secured backpack and one that is ill-fitting, improperly distributing the weight of its contents and putting unnecessary strain and stress on the student’s neck, back and shoulders.
Notice the differences? This student’s head is pulling forward, causing “Text Neck” to develop. Text Neck is a condition easy to identify by a forward slant to the upper spine and neck, which can cause headaches, mid-back pain and problems with focus. And remember, this same condition can be developed by spending too much time looking down at our phones – remember to position your device for viewing so that your head stays as straight and level as possible.