Lighten their load for back-to-school

Many adults know the anguish that back pain can bring.

A ‘bad back’ is often considered to be a complaint of older people, but many people don’t consider the risk to a child’s back, especially through carrying a heavy school bag.

As the spine is growing and developing it is vitally important to address spinal health issues for a number of reasons.

Firstly, to prevent spinal stress and dysfunction that causes pain, which may affect study and participation in sport and recreation.

Secondly, to develop good techniques for spinal health that will carry through into adulthood.

Ensuring that your child is carrying a safe load to and from school is a good way to begin addressing their spinal health. Remind your kids that a back injury can impact their health and well-being for years to come, so it is important to take care.

The following tips, compiled with the assistance of the Kids Health Department at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, gives you some great advice on choosing the right backpack for your child. Hopefully you can work together with your child to find the best choice for their growing spine.

“A child’s school bag is often filled with many bulky and heavy items such as lunchboxes, drink bottles, textbooks and sports gear. A backpack with padded straps carried over both shoulders is the best choice for carrying a load. This will ensure that the weight of the load is evenly distributed over both shoulders,” said Professor Kim Oates, Chief Executive, Children’s Hospital Westmead. When purchasing a backpack for your child, check that it carries an endorsement by a back care professional organisation such as the Australian Physiotherapy Association. A suitable backpack should be made of a firm material that prevents sag and keeps the load close to the spine. It should be fully adjustable to allow correct fitting to your child’s back. Many schools now have backpacks as part of their uniform – check with your child’s school about the regulation bag.

“In general, the load carried by your child should be less than ten per cent of their body weight. For example, if your child weighs 50 kilograms, then the load carried in their backpack should not be greater than five kilograms. The way a backpack is packed can also impact on how easy it will be to carry. Encourage your child to place heavier items such as thick textbooks or library books closer to their back, with the lighter objects placed towards the outside of the bag.”

“It is also important to lift the backpack correctly. Show your child how to safely lift the bag by facing it, bending at the knees and lifting the pack with both hands while straightening their legs. They are then able to place the straps over their shoulders one at a time without placing too much pressure on their spine,” said Professor Oates.

Of course it is also important to minimise the items that need to be carried to school.

Here are some helpful hints:

• Encourage your child to check their timetable carefully to minimise the load to be carried.
• If your child’s school provides lockers then use them to lighten the load to be carried between home and school.
• Monitor the number of library books your child carries at any one time. Too many bulky books might make your child’s load too heavy.
• Talk to your child’s school to encourage them to allow students to share the responsibility of carrying heavy textbooks to school with a classmate. For example, students take turns in bringing the text to class and share it during lessons.
• Also encourage your child’s teachers to plan ahead and inform students when texts are not required for lessons so that they are not carrying unnecessary loads.