Return to School: Backpacks and Posture

Backpacks

An excessively heavy backpack can give your child neck and back problems and worsen their posture. Make sure that your kid is keeping their backpack light on nonessentials, emptying it out weekly if needed. A guideline on weight is less than 15% of the child’s bodyweight (a 100 lbs child can carry up to 15 lbs in their backpack). That said, if you see your child leaning forwards or backwards with the pack on it’s too heavy. Make sure the weight is fairly evenly distributed in the pack. If your child complains of numbness in the arms, lighten the backpack and bring him/her into your chiropractor to get checked

Choosing a backpack

Fit the backpack to rest on their waist so their shoulders aren’t bearing all the weight. When your kids are trying on backpacks, simulate weight in the bag by pushing down on the inside of the pack while they’re wearing it. The shoulder straps should be comfortable and not dig into their shoulders when weighted. Waist straps are very beneficial if your child will actually use them.

Posture

Good posture decreases the load on kids’ spines which decreases pain and decreases the energy they’ll be wasting holding positions that are awkward  for their muscles. Most kids slouch because it is comfortable, so helping them find positions that are comfortable and have good posture will help them actually want to sit straight. Sitting on the edge of your seat is one of many good cues to help kids find a comfortable position sitting.
 

Help your kids find good posture (straight and tall with the shoulders rolled back and relaxed) and ask them how they feel. Teach them that having good posture encourages people to treat you like a grown up and respect you. Another good exercise to demonstrate the effects of posture is to as a family hold a hamstring stretch for a 3-5 minutes nonstop. Then get up and try to walk. The muscle will feel weak because it is so elongated. Relate that to the hours we spend slouching and point out that stretching those muscles for so long will make them weak in the same way.

As we all know, being bent over a phone or computer is not a healthy position to stay in… but since we’re all going to anyway here’s some ways to minimize the negative impact from it: 

• Hold your phone up higher so you aren’t looking down as much. Every inch exponentially decreases the load on your neck muscles.

• Sitting with your elbows on your knees. This puts a bit more strain on your back, but you’ll be looking up instead of down and your upper back will be supported by your arms

• Change position often–your body can handle bad posture for a few minutes, but when it drags on your ligaments adapt to the stretch (ligamentous creep) and become more susceptible to injury.

Pictures by Katerina Holmes and Julia M Cameron