09/01/2019
UMHLANGA CHIROPRACTIC CENTRE
Dr Keith Chittenden
Tel: 031- 561 3940 032 9462325
E-mail: admin@umhlangachiropractic.co.za
Web: drkeith.co.za
School Back-Pack Bags
With schooling in today’s world, the amount of books the students of all ages are expected to lug around is mind boggling. Most of the kids use a back-pack style bag and in some schools it is branded and sold by them. Unfortunately, not enough of the schools offer these bags with the wheel option. The weight of books they carry around is causing back problems and what is alarming is that they are already having back issues at a very young age!
In a recent article from a local newspaper, this issue was also discussed. The gist of what they were saying was that these heavy school bags full of heavy books was potentially producing a generation of children with bad posture and developing other issues relating to their young spines. In the article, they brought up the issue of limits of weight guidelines for school bags, depending on age. It basically came down to the fact that a school bag should not weigh more than
10 % of the child’s body weight. We all know that is not a reality. The survey of 2500 kids, found that 88 % of children aged 7 – 13 carried more than 45 % of their body weight. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
Back pain as we all know is very common among adults, but a new and disturbing trend is emerging. More and more younger children are suffering from back pain much earlier than previous generations, and the use of overweight school bags is a huge contributing factor.
I have noticed a steady increase over time in the number of young children who are complaining about back, neck and shoulder pain. The first question usually asked of these patients is, 'Do you carry a heavy school backpack to school?' Most often the answer is ‘yes’.
The concern is that the parents and the kids are accepting the fact that they have back pain in some form or other and is almost the ‘norm’ and not taking into account that they are possibly doing long term damage to their spines and posture. The longer a child carries around a heavy schoolbag, the longer it takes for a curvature or deformity of the spine to correct itself, if ever. That to me is a serious problem and one that appears to be getting brushed under the carpet.
Very few schools have facilities for lockers and book storage, thus forcing scholars to carry their books with them all day long. Secondly, it has also a fashion image that they have not embraced and it’s not ‘cool’ to have a bag with wheels! And thirdly, schools also don’t particularly want these bags on wheels, so I’m led to believe, as they are being pulled / dragged up and down the stairs and it damages the tile edges!! What about the health and wellbeing of the child?
The problem is becoming more and more widespread and serious. Parents should be insisting on the schools to change and insist on school bags with wheels. They should also be addressing the weight of books that the kids have to carry about and urge them to be using ergonomically correct backpacks.
What can you do as a parent ?
• Reduce the weight of what they have to carry to and from school on a daily basis if at all possible.
• The backpack should never hang more than about 10 cc below the waistline. A backpack that hangs too low increases the weight on the shoulders, pulling backwards on the shoulders and forcing the child to lean forward when walking.
• A backpack with individualized compartments can help in positioning the contents most effectively. Make sure that pointy or bulky objects are packed away from the area that will rest on your child's back and hips, for their comfort.
• Bigger is not necessarily better. The more room there is in a backpack, the more your child will tend to carry - and the heavier the backpack will be.
• Insist that your child use both shoulder straps. Lugging the backpack around on one shoulder can cause a disproportionate shift of weight to one side, leading to neck and muscle spasms, as well as low-back pain.
• Wide, padded straps are very important. Non-padded straps are uncomfortable, and can dig into your child's shoulders.
• The shoulder straps should be adjustable so the backpack can be adjusted to your child's body shape. Straps that are too loose can cause the backpack to dangle uncomfortably and cause spinal misalignment and pain.
• If the backpack is still too heavy, discuss it with the school. What is the need to have so many books carried around daily?
Chiropractic can help…....
Dr Keith Chittenden
Umhlanga Chiropractic 031 5613940
Ballito Chiropractic 032 946 2325
