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What we all need to know about backpack safety
by Dr. Barb Smith
The first few days of school are here and
crowding buses and streets are school children weighted down
with heavy, awkward and improperly carried backpacks. This daily
activity of lugging backpacks around has the potential to cause
not only our children pain but lifetime injuries.
So
in preparation for the new school year, Chiropractic for Life
presents Backpack Safety Awareness, the how to’s of
selecting, packing, lifting and carrying. “Carrying a poorly
designed or overloaded backpack can place excessive stress on a
child’s growing spinal column. This kind of daily stress and
strain can lead to serious back pain, changes in posture and
gait, potential irritation and injury of the spine, joints and
muscles[1].”
So much so that health care providers are now calling it a
childhood health crisis.
According to the Canadian Consumer Product Safety Commission
there are 4,928 emergency room visits a year because of
injuries related to backpacks…not only acute injuries
but also long term damage like back pain, muscle strain and
nerve impingement.
Common sense and scientific research agree that carrying a heavy
load distributed improperly or unevenly, repeated day after day,
is indeed going to cause stress on a growing spinal column. This
is not at all surprising when you consider some backpacks weigh
as much as 40 pounds, which is more weight then the 10-15% of an
individual’s body weight that is recommended. 40 million
children carry backpacks to school and those heavy loads can
cause injuries that last a lifetime.
If
your child struggles to get the backpack on and off, experiences
pain, numbness or tingling when wearing it, if it leaves red
marks or forces changes to the natural curves of their spine,
then his or her backpack is too heavy. It is important to bear
these signs in mind as the development of the spine continues
until the age of 18 and because there are preventative measures
that can be taken to reduce the risk of spinal and repetitive
strain injuries to youths.
Safety tips include purchasing the right size pack for the
wearer. It should not extend beyond the shoulders or below the
hipbone. Choose a light material like vinyl or canvas and make
sure it has (and your child uses) shoulder and waist straps.
Straps redistribute the weight, balancing it between your
pelvis, bones, joints and muscles. The backpack should be padded
with heavier items placed closest to the body; this reduces
strain because the weight is closer to the body’s center of
gravity. Pockets and compartments are great because they
distribute the weight more evenly and prevent shifting.
Prioritize the items that go into the backpack and always use
the proper lifting technique.
The
proper lifting technique is an essential aspect of backpack
safety. You’d be surprised just how much the total of its
contents can weigh and once you’ve done what you can to minimize
that weight, repeated improper lifting of even a light backpack
can cause serious damage to your child’s spine. The correct way
to lift a pack is to face it before you lift it, bend from the
knees and lift with your legs, and then slip it on one shoulder
strap at a time.
Remember optimal spinal health is considered the foundation of
disease prevention. Measures taken to reduce or eliminate risk
factors like improper backpack use can save your child from
injury, illness, sick days and lost potential.
We
can help educate children at an early age to do everyday
activities in biomechanically correct ways so they do not end up
with spinal or repetitive stress injuries later in life.
Chiropractic is about function and how your body works and is a
better, healthier decision because it is preventative health
care.
Of
course backpacks aren’t just for kids, many of us are carrying
backpacks, briefcases or heavy purses back and forth, day after
day. This daily wear can lead to pain, posture changes and
injury. Everyone can benefit from backpack safety.
[1] Dr. Dean Wright,
President of the Ontario Chiropractic Association.
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Optimal health is priceless and affordable at Chiropractor for
Life. We strive to give our patients the advantage of healthy
living in a world of sometimes-unavoidable strains and
stressors. Let us help you and your family on your way to
winning wellness.
Contact Dr. Barbara Smith at Chiropractic for Life:
www.doctorbarb.com |
