Choosing your child’s Backpack can be tricky.

We have made it easy for you with our  5 great tips when choosing your child’s backpack.

Find out what our doctors of chiropractic have to say about the possible negative impacts on your child’s spinal health if a child’s backpack is not used correctly. Find out the BEST TIPS for your child carrying their school bag to and from school, and even around school.

As you get ready to send your children back to school this year, our chiropractors would like to provide you with some important tips on how your child can correctly carry their backpack and prevent long term spinal damage.
Findings published in the Australian Spine journal stated the weight of the average backpack is often heavier, proportionally, than the legal load-bearing
limit for adults. Another international study revealed, daily backpack carrying is a frequent cause of discomfort for school children. School backpacks were felt to be heavy by 79.1% of children, to cause fatigue by 65.7%, and to cause back pain by 46.1%1.

Spinal health is important at any age but especially for children. Poor spinal health can be due to a number of factors but heavy and incorrectly worn bags may lead to pain, poor posture, slouching or uneven hips creating long term spinal issues.

What to look for when buying a backpack:

1.Make sure the right size- no wider than their chest and below the hollow of their back

2. A moulded frame on the back- when adjusted fits their spine

3. Light weight material – 2 padded straps

4. Adjustable waist and sternum straps

5. Seperate compartments that allow easy packing and weight distribution

5 things to be aware of when fitting your child’s backpack

1. Ensure weight of the backpack is no more than 10% of your child’s weight when packed, only pack the essentials

2. Pack heaviest items closest to the spine- make sure all zippers done up

3. Secure the sternum and waist straps

4. Always wear both straps

5. Make the bag doesn’t hang any lower than the back- the bag should not be hitting your child’s bottom.

It is also important to reduce time spent wearing backpack to no longer than 30 minutes at a time.

Some other things to think about to help get back into the school routine is:

– Remember to focus on posture. When sitting keep your posture straight- shoulders back and relaxed with feet firmly on the ground.

– Reduce screen time, minimise time at the screens when away from school. 2 hrs per day but preferably less.

– Get enough sleep. Start getting back into a sleep routine before school holidays end.

– Eating a balanced healthy diet, especially making sure that kids eat breakfast. So important to start the day off right with a nutritious breakfast. We need our brain to be powered by good fuel.

Stay tuned for our live next week where we will be going through some healthy and easy breakfast ideas…

We (Dr Britt and Dr Lisa) encourage all parents to make an appointment with us before school starts back for 2020 for a complementary backpack fitting. This will provide advice and assistance on selecting the right backpack and making sure its fitted correctly to suit your child’s current level of development.

To book a time for your child’s complementary backpack fitting call

93291118 or email info@errolstchiro.com.au

For your child’s FREE back pack posture assessment contact Dr. Lisa or Dr. Britt, members of the
Chiropractors’ Association of Australia.
1 Negrini, S., & Carabalona, R (2002). Backpacks on! Schoolchildren’s Perceptions of Load,
Associations with Back Pain and Factors Determining the Load. Spine, 27(2), 187-195.

You may be interested in the following videos:

For quick and easy lunch time ideas for busy people CLICK HERE.

For a 5 minute EXERCISE holiday program CLICK HERE.

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Categories Children, Posture
 
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