Backpack Safety Tips

It’s Not Your Child’s Homework That is Making Him Irritable; It’s His Backpack

You may have noticed that your teenager or pre-teen will do anything he can to get out of sitting at his desk at home to do his homework. And if he does sit there upon your command, you may notice he’s slouching and moving around quite a bit, touching different parts of his body.

The reason why could be that he’s in pain. Think about the situation for a minute. If someone is not in pain, does that person move around in a chair, placing his hands on his back or neck and rub them? No.

So the next step is to ask him about his personal habits related to his backpack. But before you do, there are some things you should know.

First of all, did the school remove the lockers for the students, forcing the children to carry all their books in their backpack? Different school districts have different policies and you’ll want to know the current position of your school district, just in case you’ll have to band together with other parents to try to implement a policy change.

Second, how your child wears his backpack can definitely impact the pain he’s feeling and the stress on his joints. Wearing the backpack so it hangs more than four inches below the waistline increases the weight on the shoulders. This causes your child to lean forward when walking and causes him to be off balance. Observe your child for a few days to find out, since your child won’t be able to tell you what’s really going on.

Third, what is the weight of the backpack he carries? Obviously this will vary from day to day depending on his homework load, but the total load should not exceed 10% of his body weight. Weigh his backpack on a scale. If he weighs 100 pounds, the total weight of the backpack should be less than 10 pounds. Heavy backpacks cause your child to lean forward as a countermeasure but a properly packed backpack will distribute the weight on the shoulders and back through the straps.

Fourth, check the construction of the backpack. Are the straps wide? Are they padded? Non-padded straps dig into the shoulders and are not recommended. Are the straps adjustable? Does your child know how to adjust them?

Fifth, does your child use the straps properly; i.e., does he carry the backpack over one shoulder or does he use both straps, which is recommended? Observe this in your child.

Once you have these five bits of crucial information, it’s time to speak to your child. Schedule an appointment with CordimaChiropracticCenter so that Dr. Cordima or Dr. Doricent can explain what’s happening to his back and spine when the backpack is overstuffed or not worn properly. Having an extra authority figure in your child’s life can help him quickly realize that you aren’t trying to blame him for having his back and neck pain. Who knows, we may impress him and possibly even get him thinking about becoming a doctor himself…

Change your child’s backpack and you can change his entire world.