Back to School Means Heavy Backpacks And Back Pain

With school is just around the corner, children will be abandoning the playground and returning to the classroom. With an emphasis on providing a sound education for this young generation, children are given a literal "heavier" workload year after year. This has translated into more books and more accessories, which greatly contributes to the normalcy and reliance on carrying backpacks. However, despite their usefulness, backpacks can cause serious back pain if overloaded or worn improperly. To understand how heavy backpacks contribute to back pain, it's important to look at the composition of the back. The adolescent spine is composed of 33 bones called vertebrae with discs between them that act as natural shock absorbers. When a heavy backpack is incorrectly placed over a child's shoulders, the weight of the bag can force the child backwards. Usually, children counteract this force by arching or bending forward at the hips, causing the spine to compress unnaturally and contributing to neck, shoulder and back pain. The best way to prevent lower back pain is to either avoid overstuffing a backpack. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, children should limit their backpack weight to between 10 and 15 percent of their body weight. Backpacks weighing more than this are too heavy to maintain a standing posture. This weight causes children to lean forward, affecting the natural curve in the lumbar and lower back regions resulting in variety of orthopa...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news