Gearing Up for School

It’s time to stock up the pencils and sharpen the mind. You guessed it! It’s time for school again. That huffing and grumbling might be the sound of an unhappy child or teen who is not ready for summer to end just quite. Sadly it’s time to get back on schedule and get back to life. 

All around the U.S. business owners are gearing up for the next big back to school sale. Customers are flooding the stores for all the low prices and deals on backpacks, folders, clothes, and other crucial school items. Some parents might even be grabbing what they can from the shelves before they disappear. That is fine when it comes to clothes and the small essentials, but when it comes to backpacks it might be physically hurting your child in the end. Picking out a backpack may seem trivial and simple to some, but what parents don’t know is that improper use of a backpack can lead to multiple back injuries. Even in small children, such as first graders to high school students.

In 2010 there will be over 40 million children and teens that will be returning to school. Almost half of that 40 million will experience back pain due to wearing their backpack to low on their back, improper fitting, or an overweight of items in the pack itself.

Injuries from improper backpack use can cause injury or pain such as torn ligaments, back strain, muscle sprains, and it can also affect posture. Make sure your child wears their backpack on their upper back. The pack should be proportionate to their shoulder blades and their middle back. If the pack is settling on your child’s lower back than over time it can have an effect on lower back pain.

Make sure the shoulder straps are wide and well padded. If not than it could have negative impacts to your child. Buy a pack that has adjustable straps. Do not buy one that you can’t adjust. Over time the weight of textbooks and other heavy items can stretch out your shoulder straps. Therefore you will need to adjust the pack every now and then. Use both straps when carrying your backpack. Never use only one strap. This will put too much weight on one side of your body and could cause injury.

Always make sure to switch out your child’s backpack every three months, if it needs it. This will help prevent shoulder and back injuries due to sloping straps.

Lastly, do not put more weight in the pack then necessary. Research has shown that some classes overload the child with homework. Due to this some backpacks can equal up to 15 lbs or more. You don’t want to overload your pack and cause even more strain on your back.