Back to School- Proper Backpack use

One common concern that parents of school age kids have is their child’s posture. One way to help maintain a good posture on school age kids is to have a proper backpack use.   Sometimes, too much weight or having a backpack that is not appropriate can lead kids to not have an ideal posture and in turn could lead to symptoms, like headaches, lack of energy, rolled forward shoulders, pain between shoulder blades, neck pain or lower back pain.

Here are a couple of tips to help the posture of your child by having a proper backpack use.

1. Weight of the backpack 
   1. Elementary students- the weight of the backpack should not exceed 10% of the weight of the child
   2. Junior and High School students- the weight of the backpack should not exceed 15% of the weight of the child
2. Posture with backpack on
   1. The backpack should be the same length as child torso
   2. The backpack should be in the frame of shoulders and hip bone- should not be higher than the shoulders and not lower than the hip bone. The bottom of the backpack should lie in the curve of their lower back 
   3. The child should be able to stand up straight
3. Ideal backpack 
   1. Should be lightweight
   2. Should have wide padded straps at least 2 inches
   3. Should have chest strap and waist straps
4. Check for unnecessary items that should not be inside their backpack  

Regular chiropractic care helps improve your child’s posture; remember chiropractic care will help maintain the health through all your children’s milestones. 

Jacqueline Merced, DC CACCP