BACKPACK SAFETY: Tips For A Comfortable School Year

As kids return to school, doctors say you need to check the fit of your child’s backpack.  They say too many kids wear them the wrong way, setting them up for future back problems.

Dr. Aaron Rector at Active Wellness Chiropractic and Rehabilitation offers free back pack consultations. 

He says you need to look for an age appropriate backpack. It should fit between the shoulders and belt line.

He also says you need to make sure the straps are tight, so it sits high on the back.

Rector says, “Spinal health is important from a very early age. If they get set down the wrong path with muscle spasm, tightness, stiffness, aches and pains, it kind of sets up their future for that chronic pain syndromes later on in life.”

He says the backpack should only weigh 10-percent of the child’s weight when it’s loaded.  That’s ten pounds for a 100 pound kid.  The average laptop many kids have is about seven pounds.