When our kids return to school, they often must deal with aches and pains from heavy backpacks. Backpacks can lead to poor posture and often take a toll on their spinal health. Chiropractic care helps children with back pain and teaches them how to sit and function properly while at school and during school related activities. At Alignment Chiropractic, we provide safe, natural, effective chiropractic care for the treatment of back pain and postural alignment issues.
Postural Issues in Children
Most children do not think about their posture. However, when carrying a heavy backpack or sitting at a desk for long periods of time, our children can develop back pain as well as things like but not limited to, neck pain, middle back pain, headaches, shoulder pain, and often tiredness. Poor posture can also cause neck pain, headaches, and spine problems. Dr. Taylor of Alignment Chiropractic will provide specific scientific chiropractic adjustments to alleviate the back and neck pain that most kids face because of the heavy and often improperly worn backpacks. Dr. Taylor and his team will also educate our children on some ways to properly wear their backpacks safely and ways to avoid recurring pain.
Back to School Tips
Here are some tips for backpack safety and proper posture.
Choosing the Right Backpack
Make sure to choose backpacks that are lightweight with wide straps. If you can find one with padding along the back and a belt at the waist, even better! Choosing the right backpack can decrease the amount of stress on the spine by properly distributing the weight and reducing the stress on the shoulders and chest.
Lighten the Load
As a rule of thumb, do not let your child carry more than 10% of his or her bodyweight in bags or backpacks. Weigh the loaded backpack on the bathroom scale to verify what it weighs. If lockers are available at your child’s school, encourage them to use them and make more frequent trips. The additional steps will be good for them, and decreasing the weight of the bag will help in the long run.
Using both Straps
Using just one strap of a backpack can cause spinal misalignment due to the uneven distribution of weight on one side of the body. Encourage and teach your child to use both the straps to help distribute weight more evenly across the back and shoulders. This will almost immediately help reduce chronic back and neck pain. It may not look “cool,” but it will save you lots of pain in the future.
Adjust the Height
Adjust the backpack straps to sit high on your child’s back. When the backpack sags low, it can put pressure on the lower back. This can have other repercussions over time, too, including chronic pain, poor balance, and headaches.
Visit Alignment Chiropractic in Summerville, SC for Help with Posture Correction, Back, and Neck Pain
As our children return to school, it is important for them to practice good habits, including good posture and the tips mentioned in this article. At Alignment Chiropractic in Summerville, SC we are here to serve the areas of North Charleston, Goose Creek, and the surrounding comminutes in the Low Country. Dr. Thomas A. Taylor provides proven techniques for the elimination of back pain and will guide our children on how to practice good posture at school every day. Call us today to schedule an appointment.