Back to school and backpack pain: 5 tips to prevent your child's back pain

Mom, you know all about back pain and how painful it can be (you can find tips to alleviate them here), but with your kids going back to school, backpacks could be a big cause of concern for the back of your little one too.

Filled with textbooks and notebooks, lunches, and sports gear, this constant heavy overload can really strain your child’s back, neck, and shoulders.

Around a third of their children have suffered from these pains, parents have reported to the British Chripractic Association (BCA).

An overly heavy weight in backpacks can:

• Distort the natural curves in the middle and lower backs, causing muscle strain and irritation to the spine joints and the rib cage
• Lead to rounding of the shoulders
• Cause a person to lean forward, reducing balance and making it easier to fall

Follow these tips to help your kids prevent backpack pain:

• Choose a backpack with wide padded straps and wear both shoulder straps. Carrying the pack by one shoulder can cause disproportionate weight distribution, which may lead to neck and muscle spasms, and back pain.
• Reduce the load of books. Instead of carrying books around all day, ask you child to only carry the books needed for a particular class and leave the rest in the locker.
• Choose a backpack size that is appropriate for the child. Remember that the bigger the backpack, the more room your child will have to carry around unnecessary items.
• Make sure that the backpack never hangs more than four inches below the waistline. A backpack that is too low will cause more weight on the shoulders.
• Some experts have recommended that your child’s backpack should weigh no more than 5 to 10 percent of your child’s body weight.

Make Your Whole Body Happy, and your kiddie's happy too :)