-
HEALTH: A SECOND OPINIONBY: CHAD MCDILL D.C.BACKPACK SAFETY: 2021The backpack alone is not the problem; it is the carrying method, size of the pack,weight of the pack and the loading procedure that causes the problem Around the countryhealth care professionals agree that backpacks are a health concern for our children.Improper use of backpacks can lead to back pain and poor posture in children. The backpain may go away after the child graduates from college and stops using the backpack(that’s at least 12-16 years of use), however the poor posture established while carryingthe backpack often lingers for a lifetime. Research shows that the longer a child wears aheavy backpack, the longer it takes for a deformity of the spine or curvature to becorrected. Research also has shown that loss of the cervical curve caused by ForwardHead Posture (FHP) causes spinal cord demyelination and neuronal loss. Thankfully inDade County, the schools still provide lockers for children. In urban areas lockers arebeing removed from schools due to the concern for firearms and drugs being stored in thelockers. Removing lockers forces the children to have to carry all their materials in thebook bag and increases that weight on the child’s spine.Assessing the size, weight and carrying method. Most importantly a child shouldnever carry any more than 10% of their body weight in the backpack. This means thatyour 75 pound child should not carry more than 7.5 pounds in their backpack. Allchildren should use both shoulder straps to carry the backpack. The backpack shouldhave wide padded shoulder straps, a padded back, a waist support belt if possible, andseveral compartments. The pack should only measure 75% of the length of the child’sback. 75% is approximately the length between the top of the shoulder blades and thewaist or top of buttocks. The heaviest items should be loaded first and be placed closestto the inside of the backpack (closest to the spine). Load the lightest items on the outsideand place sharp items like pens and pencils in a separate compartment away from thebody. Children should always use the waist support strap if available and never let thebackpack hang on or below the buttocks. Going over these procedures with your childrenwill allow them to safely carry the backpack and help reduce poor posture.Poor posture leads to stress on the spinal column. The spinal column contains andprotects the spinal cord which is the connection between the brain and body (Brain +spinal cord = central nervous system or CNS). The CNS is the way the body controls andcoordinates the entire body’s function all the way down to the immune system. Unduepressure from poor posture caused by the improper use of a backpack is very damagingand totally avoidable. Talk to your children about managing the problem of improper useand overloading of backpacks. Then, take your kids with you to the chiropractor and findout if damaging misalignments of the spine called Subluxations are robbing them of theirHealth potential.Provided By:Chad McDill DCComplete Chiropractic Care, LLC4580 West Hwy. 136Trenton, GA 30752(706) 657-477