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| Photo: (c) kingvald |
About 90% of kids wear backpacks. Have you ever wondered what this does to your child's spine?
A new study, published in the Jan 1 issues of Spine found that heavy backpacks can damage children's spinal discs, increase spinal curvature and cause back strain (and pain).
According to press materials, the study took MRIs of kids wearing different backpacks weighing up to 26 pounds. The researchers added 10, 20 and 30 percent of the childrens body weight with backpack weight and measured spinal changes.
Most of the time, backpacks range between 10 and 22 percent of a child's weight.
As the backpacks got heavier, the childrens intervertebral discs became more compressed. Wearing back packs also increased abnormal side to side curves, beginning at 18 pounds. At 26 pounds, kids needed to adjust their posture to accommodate the pack.
Unfortunately, the negative effects of wearing a heavy backpack may carry over into adulthood. Children with back pain are at a greater risk for back pain during adulthood. This post has a few tips for how to minimize the pain.
Source:
Press Release. Heavy Backpacks Affect Children's Spines. Newswise. Jan 27 10.
| Tips for Wearing Backpacks | Back Pain | Scoliosis |
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Several of my school age patients have successfully requested duplicate copies of textbooks to help lighten their daily load. Weigh your child’s load and advocate for their health.
I purchased a lightweight backpack for my daughter to carry and encourage her to carry her lunch and water bottle separately, to minimize the weight. I also bought used copies of her textbooks on half.com so she doesn’t have to carry heavy books back and forth and stress the importance of good posture to minimize the effects of carrying a backpack.