Have you ever stopped to have a look at your child’s posture? Have you noticed them slouch, hunch forward or complain of muscle aches? With all the rush getting everything ready for the new school year, now is a great time to give their posture a thought!
Backpacks are a great way for kids to carry their bags, but these days the bags can be increasingly heavier with more books and technology. With backpacks being very much the norm for school children, it’s important to spare it a thought to make sure that they are not taking their your children.
Why does this matter?
You may think that at such a young age, why is it so important to consider a backpack. Well, as your child continues to grow, their spine is still developing. Because of this, it is important to minimise the daily strain that they go through!
A poor backpack may contribute to:
– Rounded shoulders
– Muscle fatigue and soreness
– Changes in walking patterns or gait
– Back, shoulder or neck pain
– Headaches
Young bodies go through so much strain on a daily basis, so it’s important to look at how we can minimise this. Backpacks are for support, so using both straps is a great start. One-shoulder bags can cause you to lean to one side, leading to overcompensation, particularly if you always carry it on the same side.
What can you do?
There are lots of different things that you can do to help protect your child’s spine. This starts with picking the right backpack. What should you look for?
A good backpack should have the foundations in place to ease the level of strain going through the shoulders and spine. This looks like:
– Wide and padded shoulder straps
– Padded surface
– Waist and chest straps
Once you have found a suitable, supportive rucksack, try and reduce the load in which you carry. Ideally, carrying no more than 10-15% of your bodyweight is a good benchmark to
follow. Packing your items with purpose is also helpful. This means heavier items in the bottom, with other smaller items packed in other pockets to evenly distribute the load and limit the pressure on certain areas of the spine and nerves.
If you or anyone you know has children getting ready for going back to school in September, consider a posture and backpack check for your child. Call the clinic today to arrange a complimentary posture check and lets get those young spines ready for the new term!
Lift properly!
It’s easy to forget to lift items carefully so taking time to explain how to lift your backpack safely and effectively is underestimated. Make sure that they bend from the knees and not from the waist. Avoid twisting when lifting the bag.
This will reduce the risk oof muscle strains, disc injuries and spinal misalignment (also known as subluxations).
If you are concerned about your child’s posture, or are just looking for some advice, why not get their posture checked! At Chislehurst Chiropractic Clinic we offer free spinal health checks to assess where these imbalances may be in your spine. Don’t hesitate to give us a call and get yourself and your child checked!
If you know someone who could benefit from this blog post, please share it with them. We offer a complimentary spine check to anyone who is interested in how chiropractic may be able to help them.
