Is Your Child at Risk
:IS YOUR CHILD AT RISK
Most kids today prefer to use backpacks to carry their stuff to school. These bags allow the kids to carry weight on two shoulders instead of just one, and they also leave the hands free for other stuff like smartphones. Also, most kids just consider them cool, especially compared to the alternatives
But what’s not cool at all about backpacks is that they can actually cause some harm to your kids. In 2001, emergency rooms across the US saw a total of more than 6,000 cases of injuries to children related to carrying a backpack
A lot of the problem has to do with overloading. A recommended weight of a backpack should not exceeds more than 10% to 15% of the child’s weight. But about a fourth of all young students bear more than 20% of their body weight on their backpack
For example if your child weigh’s 80 lbs the weight of his backpack should not exceed 10-15lbs Students body weight X 0.10 = total weight the body can handle in the bag
There are certain incognito posture supports that are created and designed by doctors of chiropractic, which helps avoid poor posture and allows the body to be supported while under daily load of backpacks
Today thousands of young students carry backpack loads of more than 25 to even 30 pounds
When children become tired when they carry these loads, they don’t adjust their strides like adults do. Instead, the compensate for the inordinately heavy load by dropping their heads a lot more forward, and they exhibit uneven posture. These reactions cause a stress on the body with both short term and long term implications. The stress causes immediate effects on posture—it can lead to a tendency to slouch all the time.
Children may also have problems such as headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, muscle soreness, numbness and tingling and SLOUCHING
And if the problem isn’t corrected, then this stress can eventually lead to some long term damage to the spine. This problem increases the likelihood of back pain as an adult. Of course computer use, texting or video games are added harm and damage to the spine and the growing bodies.
Here are some Exercises to Counteract Constant Backpack Weight
According to some experts, the best exercises to counter the effects of backpack use involve strengthening the muscles involved in carrying a backpack
- Exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles should be done about three times a week. One example is the crunches on a medicine ball, and two sets of 8 to 12 crunches are recommended
Another good exercise is the bicycle maneuver. You lie down on your back with your legs outstretched and your hands behind your head. Then pretend that you are riding a bicycle by alternately bringing your right knee towards your left elbow and then your left knee towards your right elbow. Two sets of 10 to 12 repetitions should suffice
- Lower back exercises should also be done. One exercise has you lying down on your stomach, while you tighten one leg and raise it a few inches off the ground for 10 seconds. Do the same thing for the other leg? You can do the exercise about five times
- Finally, the upper back and shoulders should also be strengthened. Push ups are good examples
.To encourage your kids to do these exercises, maybe you can do the exercises with your kids. It will help keep you healthy as well.
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