Backpacks and the Safety of Children

How many times do you see children struggling along to school with a heavy backpack on their back? You can see from their posture that the pack is far too heavy for them and you wonder what it must be doing to their young bones and what ongoing problems they are going to have into adulthood.

At one time we used to worry about children wearing unsuitable or ill-fitting shoes and know that their feet and gait would suffer and that in their adult years their mistreated feet would come back to haunt them.

Now we are seeing the same thing with backpacks.

An average child has about twelve pounds in their backpack. Think how many times they are going to lift that every day and how far they are going to carry it.

If the backpack is not too heavy, the straps are adjusted correctly and the pack is worn in the right position then there may be no problems. However, problems arise if the pack is too heavy for the child or the straps are not adjusted correctly.

Another common problem is when the child carries the backpack on one shoulder for extended periods as this may cause a serious postural misalignment which may lead to vertebral subluxations. This disorder can be a precursor to a myriad of ailments, such as neck and back pain, headaches and osteoarthritis.

Fortunately there is a solution for this potential childhood healthcare crisis. This solution lies through educational programs and products which are aimed at students, parents and teachers and gives them the necessary guidelines to prevent future spinal conditions due to improperly worn backpacks.

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