PACK PAIN! (BACKBACK PAIN)

   It's back to school and back pain from school backpacks is very common and the month of September usually brings children into our office with symptoms of back pain, but also neck and shoulder pain. More than 14,000 children have back pain from backpacks every year. A recent study in the June 2016 Spine Journal researched the effects of backpacks in over 5000 children in Italy, ages 6-19. They found out two major findings: 1) that the duration of use was more prone to causing back pain compared to weight of the pack, and 2)  girls had more intense and frequent pain than boys, In addition teen girls were at more risk to suffer serious pain. 
  Choose a good fitting backpack, limit your load and pack  it correctly, and choose wisely what really needs to be in the pack. I

Things to do to limit back pain:
1.  If you do not need to carry your backpack, then put it           down, and do not carry it for long periods without a rest.
2.  Carrying more than 10% of your body weight in a pack          can be harmful.
3.  Use a pack with wide, padded straps
4.  Use a pack with chest and hip straps to keep the pack           snug and close to the back.
5.  Use a pack with multiple compartments for better load
     distribution.
6.  Keep the pack from hanging no more than 4 inches               below your waist.
7.  Use both shoulder straps and do not sling the pack over
     one shoulder. You want an even and balanced load.
8.  You might try a pack with small wheels on it when                   carrying heavy longs for long periods.