adapted from postureanalysis.com and Ideal Spinal Health Center
Welcome to Wellness is happy to do a posture analysis of your child with their backpack. Don't forget to bring it filled with a typical day's worth of books, lunch box, etc.
As children start going back to school this month, many parents don't realize that their kid's backpacks may actually be doing a lot of harm to their young and impressionable postures.
According to recent studies, it turns out that 6th graders carry anywhere between 14 and 20 pounds (some as much as 30 pounds) of books, notebooks, snacks and supplies in their backpacks. When that amount of weight is incorrectly placed on the shoulders, its force will pull the child backwards. To compensate for this, most tend to bend forward at the hips or arch the back -- which leads to spinal misalignments, pain, discomfort, and even sciatica.
Children who choose to wear their backpacks over just one shoulder, will end up forcing themselves to lean to the opposite side, in order to offset the extra weight. This will not only cause shoulder strain/pain, as well as back and neck pain, but for those with scoliosis, it will be downright uncomfortable and lead to worsening of the condition.
There are three things you can do for your child, to help him or her avoid long-term spinal problems:
1. Wheeled backpacks
2. Online text books (where available)
3. Corrective chiropractic care
Without help, children will develop spinal misalignments - leading to a wide range of health problems in the future. Besides the obvious back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain, most children with spinal misalignments suffer from weak immune systems, headaches, migraines, allergies, asthma, fatigue, and acid reflux disease. While wheeled backpacks and online books are a great way to keep children from carrying heavy loads, one must remember that school-age children can also develop poor posture and spinal injuries during sports, slouching in their chairs in class, or horsing around with their friends.
Reprinted from Ideal Spine Health Center
Chiropractic BioPhysics or CBP is the most reseaerched, scientific, and results-oriented corrective chiropractic technique in the world. CBP chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, improve posture, and eliminate the source of pain and nerve interference.
The Ideal Spine Health Center - the largest corrective chiropractic care facility in the United States - has helped thousands of patients - young and old - eliminate pain, fatigue and disease.