It's that time of the year again. Time to start getting your kids ready for school. That means buying supplies and something to carry them in... usually a backpack.
It's important to make sure you get the right kind.
That backpack they use might be causing more pain than you, or they, think. Nowadays, kids are lugging more and more supplies back and forth to school. If you try to pick up their backpack, you'll see that it's pretty packed. Unfortunately, that same pack might be the main reason up to half of 15-16 year olds complain of back pain.
Most doctors and physical therapists recommend a backpack weigh no more than 15% of a student's body weight. That means it shouldn't weigh more than 15 pounds for a 100 pound person. And the most it should ever way, regardless of how big someone is, is 20 pounds.
But, besides making sure it doesn't weigh too much, there are other things that can help keep it comfortable.
Make sure it has 2 wide, padded shoulder straps and that both straps are always used. Also, teach kids to stand up straight when using a pack. If they're leaning forward or hunching over, it probably weighs too much.
Also, try and lighten the load. See if you can convince them to not carry things they don't need, just bring home the necessities. Store the rest in their locker.
Encourage your kids to let you know if they have any back pain, or if they get numbness or tingling in their arms. That's a sign of a heavy pack, or one not used correctly.
The key here is to make sure their homework doesn't turn into a bigger pain then they already think it is.
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