Does your Child Carry Back pack, here are few things to know
Does your Child Carry Back pack, here are few things to know
Effect of Backpack on Posture
Carrying Schoolbag is a common cause of pain in neck, upper back and shoulder of school going children. A over packed or poorly packed backpacks may cause a child to compensate the posture to counterbalance the load. Some students wear their bag on only one shoulder, and they might walk tilted to one side. If the bag straps are too thin, they can dig into the shoulder muscles and strain
All these can cause Postural deviations
- Leaning the body forward,
- Forward head position,
- Shoulder elevations,
- Walking tilted on one side
Recommendations for carrying the back pack
Efficient load carriage can minimalize energy expenditure and cause minimal stresses to the tissues
- For high school Children – Carry a load of less than 15% of body weight
- For primary and middle school Children Carry a load less than 8-10% of body weight
- Compartmentalized the backpack for load distribution
- Keep Heavy books or stuff close to the body’s center of mass (near the back) and do not let mass settling at the bottom of the backpack.
- Lighten the load whenever possible
- Backpack should be carried on both shoulders, placed on the trunk, and fixed to a position (at waist level) so that the subject felt most comfortable and stable.
Exercises for posture
Stand and sit tall
Feedback in the mirror
Trapezius stretching
Pectoral stretching
Strengthening of upper back and back extensors