07/31/2025
It’s almost back to school time.
During this new school year it is important to make sure your child’s back pack correctly fits and is worn properly. Ensuring your child has the correct size backpack and the weight is evenly distributed from right to left can help avoid spinal related pain and injury. It not uncommon to see symptoms like headaches, upper shoulder pain and lower back discomfort result from improper backpack safety.
Firstly, a great rule of thumb to follow is keeping your child’s backpack weight under 10-15% of their body weight. Backpacks that exceed this weight can cause your child to be pulled backwards and compensate by bending at the waist and/or shrugging the shoulders. Secondly, check to make sure the backpack is the proper size for your child’s height. When worn correctly, the bag should start just below the shoulders and end right above the waist. Lastly, the backpack should be worn on both shoulders and fit snuggly so there is minimal movement and impact on the lower back while walking.
For backpack safety tips visit the American Chiropractic Association website.
