It’s the back-to-school season, and our Atlanta Chiropractors are offering tips on how you can help your children avoid back pain associated with heavy backpacks. It’s the goal of AICA Atlanta to educate parents on the importance of choosing the right backpack that supports the health and safety of your kids.
Health Concerns of Backpacks
Backpacks serve as practical means for transporting all of the most valuable resources you need from location to another. For students, backpacks help distribute the weight of heavy text books as they go through each class. One health concern associated with this is the potential strain that’s added to your children’s neck, shoulders, and back.
Carrying a heavy backpack each school day can cause your child to compensate balance for comfort, which can lead to:
- Hunched shoulders
- Spinal deformities
- Muscle strain
- Nerve irritation
- Inflammation
Wearing a backpack with one shoulder strap adds to this concern, as it causes the muscles on the opposite shoulder to compensate for the uneven balance of weight, resulting in joint dysfunction and compression.
How Parents Can Help
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) recommends the following tips to protect your children’s health when it comes to carrying backpacks at school:
- Speak with your child about the importance of wearing a backpack with both shoulder straps. Although it may be “popular” to wear a backpack with one shoulder strap, it’s important to educate your child about the long-term risks to their health versus the short-term perception of popularity.
- Have your child pack their heaviest items first so that they are held close against their body.
- Use your backpack’s compartments to help distribute the weight more evenly.
- Adjust your child’s backpack straps so that they fit comfortably to their body.
- Adjust your child’s backpack so that it rests at least two inches above their hips.
- Show your child how to lift their bag with their legs, not their waist or back.
- Have your child clean out their backpack at least once a week to make sure they aren’t carting random, heavy objects around.
- Do not pack anything that causes the backpack to weigh more than 15 percent of your child’s body weight.
- Consider purchasing other kinds of bags that are better for your child’s long-term health, such as rolling bags, molded backpacks, and those with lumbar support.
Contact AICA Atlanta For Back-To-School Back Pain Relief
If your child experiences back pain as a result of their packs or other school-related activities, contact AICA Atlanta for immediate relief. Chiropractic is completely safe for people of all ages and can ensure that your child’s system is in a constant state of balance. Our techniques can help your child avoid painful subluxations, as well as misalignments that occur as a result of instability.
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about our services or set up an examination for immediate pain relief. Just dial (404) 889-8828.
