Skip to main content

Back To School Tips

4 Back to School Tips For a Healthy Spine

Here are 4 tips on how to keep your kids from suffering from postural issues due to bad habits with carrying their backpacks. 

  1. Carry your bag on both shoulders! The weight needs to be distributed evenly on both sides of the body to avoid compensating. 
  2. How heavy should the backpack be? Our recommendation for children up to the age of 13 is between 10%-15% of their body weight. Overloading their backpacks may put a lot of stress on their spine and cause extreme tension on the back, shoulders, and neck muscles. This can result in pain, discomfort, and an accumulation of injuries. 
  3. The most expensive backpack may not always be the best.  There are plenty of choices and most of them are sufficient. The basic specifications to look for are: The backpack has to have a medium-hard support along the back and adjustable straps for the length. The backpack will be perfectly adapted to contour the back without pulling backwards. 
  4. What about the “ERGONOMIC” backpacks? Typically, this is a marketing gimmick. One design doesn’t necessarily fit all kids, so the best thing to do is to keep it simple. If you see a backpack at the store with all the “bells and whistles”, you will most likely pay a premium price for a product that may not be necessary.

You Might Also Enjoy...

Is Myofascial Release the Same As a Massage?

Is Myofascial Release the Same As a Massage?

Manual therapies are a common part of the rehabilitation process, and massage therapy and myofascial release are common types of treatment for helping people.  But are they basically the same method?
 3 Surprising Triggers of Sciatica

3 Surprising Triggers of Sciatica

Your nerves are vital to relaying information throughout your body, and when problems with them arise you can end up with painful problems like sciatica. This illness can be caused by triggers that may surprise you.
Grade 1 Ankle Sprain: How Soon Can I Play Sports?

Grade 1 Ankle Sprain: How Soon Can I Play Sports?

Athletes are no stranger to getting injured, but some can be worse than others, and may take longer to heal. Ankle sprains are a common injury, but how long does it take to recover from it and get back in the game?
 How Is Dry Needling Different from Acupuncture?

How Is Dry Needling Different from Acupuncture?

Modern medicine seems almost miraculous for the things we can treat, but many doctors still use traditional methods to help patients like acupuncture. But how is it different from modern dry needling treatments? How do both help?

How to Lower Your Risk for Chronic Knee Pain

Knee pain is a reality for millions of people whether you’re highly active or just moving around the house. Chronic knee pain can stem from a number of things affecting joints and bones, and here’s what you can do to avoid it.
What to Expect During Myofascial Release

What to Expect During Myofascial Release

If you’re dealing with pain in your muscles, it can be due to trigger points in a condition called myofascial pain syndrome. Myofascial release therapy can help relieve the pain, and here’s what you can expect from the procedure.