Overland Park Chiropractor Reviews Tips to Prevent Lower Back Pain

By: Dr. Patterson

We are nearing the month of August, and for many of us, that means back-to-school shopping with our kids. Usually, these shopping trips include the purchase of a new backpack.

Children and adolescents often carry backpacks that are too heavy or are worn improperly. To help prevent injury, please consider the following suggestions from the ACA (American Chiropractic Association) when shopping for a backpack:

1. Make sure your child’s backpack weighs no more than 5 to 10 percent of his or her body weight. A heavier backpack will cause your child to bend forward in an attempt to support the weight on his or her back, rather than on the shoulders, by the straps.

2. The backpack should never hang more than four inches below the waistline. A backpack that hangs too low increases the weight on the shoulders, causing your child to lean forward when walking.

3. A backpack with individualized compartments helps in positioning the contents most effectively. Make sure that pointy or bulky objects are packed away from the area that will rest on your child’s back.

4. Bigger is not necessarily better. The more room there is in a backpack, the more your child will carry, and the heavier the backpack will be.

5. Urge your child to wear both shoulder straps. Lugging the backpack around by one strap can cause the disproportionate shift of weight to one side, leading to neck and muscle spasms, as well as low-back pain.

6. Wide, padded straps are very important. Non-padded straps are uncomfortable, and can dig into your child’s shoulders.

7. The shoulder straps should be adjustable so the backpack can be fitted to your child’s body. Straps that are too loose can cause the backpack to dangle uncomfortably and cause spinal misalignment and pain.

8. If the backpack is still too heavy, talk to your child’s teacher. Ask if your child could leave the heaviest books at school, and bring home only lighter hand-out materials or workbooks.

9. Although the use of rollerpacks – or backpacks on wheels – has become popular in recent years, the ACA is now recommending that they be used cautiously and on a limited basis by only those students who are not physically able to carry a backpack. Some school districts have begun banning the use of rollerpacks because they clutter hallways, resulting in dangerous trips and falls.

If your child experiences pain from his or her backpack use, please do not hesitate to call our office for an evaluation.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 5th, 2010 at 11:34 am and is filed under Alternative Medicine, Cause of Headache, Diet, Nutrition and Well Being, Digestion, Emotional Balance, Enzyme Replacement Nutrition Therapy, Ergonomics, Exercise, Extremity Adjusting, Foot and gait mechanics, Injury and Treatment following motor vehicle accidents, Mechanisms and Treatment of Low Back Pain, Rehabilitation Exercises and Protocols, Stress Reduction, Uncategorized, back pain, headache treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.