Your Backpack - A Cause For Pain

Kids Get Back Pain Too!

Once again, a new school year begins. One of the most common items students have is a backpack. However, there are right ways and wrong ways to wear them and use them.

3 Backpack Tips:

1) The first thing to remember is that it is easy to over pack a backpack.

One rule of thumb is that the bag shouldn’t weigh more than 10 percent of the student's weight (for younger students) to 15 percent (for older students). Sorting through the bag the day before, you can help determine what will be necessary for the upcoming school day and what is literally excess baggage!

2) If you have heavy books or other heavy items, place them closest to your back to help lessen the strain. Anything that is light can be further from your body and not increase the strain on your back and shoulders.

3) Finally, wearing the bag properly helps a great deal in reducing back strain. Keep the top of the backpack near the top of your shoulders. This will also help keep the backpack closer to your back. Doing this will reduce how much you lean forward trying to balance out the weight of a low hanging bag.

Remember that back pain is not exclusive to older people. Almost 50% of young people experience low back pain by the time they are teenagers.

Backpacks are one factor in causing this back pain. If your child is experiencing back pain, get them assessed by Dr. Doug. Fixing back pain when young helps set your child up for a healthier adulthood!

Call us at: 905-453-1806 - Ask for Dr. Doug!

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Email us at: info@drdoug.ca

Visit our website: www.drdoug.ca