As a chiropractor I value the old adage of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of gold”. Preventing spinal problems is always better than treating pain. We all know that… But you might not be aware of what “preventing” really means.
Many patients come into our office saying, “Doc, I’m getting old. That’s why my back hurts”. And I always tell them that it’s not that their getting old, it’s that their “problems” are getting old. We don’t realize that a lot of our issues actually started when we where kids. There was a study done a while back that I remember, which said that by the time kids turn 11 years old they’ve fallen about a thousand times. We’ve all seen kids take a fall and just get right up. Well, there is a price for all those hard knocks.
That leads me to the issue of backpacks. School starts in two weeks and parents are in school supply shopping mode. What backpack to buy can be a hard question. Now, it would be real easy for me to say to buy your kids a REI or L.L. Bean specialized back pack that will run anywhere between $50-$150. But who are we kidding, that is not practical and those aren’t the kind of backpacks “your” kids want anyways, right?
I’m gonna give you some advice (FREE, by the way) on how to be a frugal shopper without compromising your child’s health and well-being. Now let me preface by saying that these are just recommendations and I am by no means implying that you should buy your child a “cheap” book bag. I just want you to be able to make a better choice when you are faced with buying one of the economical backpacks at your local super store.
Remember, THERE ARE NO GREAT BACKPAKS THAT HAVE A CARTOON/TEEN IDOL CHARACTER ON THE FRONT! Yet, these are the ones your child will pick out first. So, here are some general guides to use when picking out a book bag.
1. Look for comfort. It’s important to make sure the backpack feels comfortable to your child and the straps can be adjusted for a tight fit.
2. Padding, padding, padding. Look for a backpack with thick and padded shoulder straps. This is where the brunt of the load lies. Heavy stress on the shoulder leads to tension and tight neck and upper back muscles. Sound familiar?
3. Everything is too much. Try to avoid the packs with a lot of accessories that your kid is going to want to take with them to school. It just adds more unecessary weight to the bag.
4. Break it up. Look for lots of compartments, items tends to shift and cause swaying while carrying. Compartments keep things in place and help stabilize the backpack while carrying causing less strain.
5. Just get what you need. Buy a backpack that will be proportionate to what your child’s needs are. An elementary school child will only need a small backpack while a high schooler will need to pack more things. Don’t fall into the temptation of buying the bigger backpack because it costs the same as the smaller one.
Now, there are a whole lot of other recommendations for actually “using” the back pack in a proper way. Here are just a few to keep in mind.
1. How heavy? I recommend that a backpack should not weight more than 10-15% of the child’s body weight. So if a child weighs 80 lbs., their whole bookbag with stuff inside should only weigh about 8-12 lbs.
2. Use the 4″ rule. The bottom of the backpack should not hang more than 4 inches below your child’s waistline. Any lower and a fully loaded pack will force the lower spine to arch backward uncomfortably and lead to strain. Two inches above the waistline is ideal.
3. Big (down), small (up). In other words, make sure you place the heaviest stuff in the bottom of the pack snugly against the child’s back, and the lightest stuff on top, away from the child’s back. That way, the pack sways less and moves with the child.
4. Fit their frame. Have your child get acustomed to always use both straps and adjust them snugly on their shoulders. Carrying the backpack on one shoulder will lead to a lifetime of upper body imbalance. This is a big one. By the way, if your child refuses to wear both straps and you find they always carry the bag on one particular side. Have them checked by a chiropractor, this can be a sign that there is something already imbalanced and can be leading to early dysfunction.
5. Upkeep. Be diligent about checking what’s inside their backpack. Kids stuff things inside there and forget about it. This leads to unnecessary weight that will build up over time. By the way, when you clean out your childs bookbag on a regular basis, do the same with your purse or wallet.
This by no means covers all there is to know about children and backpacks. But it’s a good start for you. I hope this can help and will avoid your child making a decision soley based on the character on the front and you not making the decision soley on the price tag. I know it can be confusing and stressfull to be standing in a Big Box store with your child having a temper tantrum wanting the Hannah Montana book bag. Use these guides as a way of making an informed decision.
Again, preventing back problems in kids is a passionate subject for me and if you want to discuss this further, please feel free to call me or send me a message.
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