Focus on Pediatrics: For a better back, take off the pack
March 1, 2002
Focus on Pediatrics: For a better back, take off the pack
Injuries occur early in life
Although many unhealthful habits children develop won’t cause problems until they reach adulthood, some are having an earlier impact. Injuries and health problems caused by carrying backpacks stuffed with books and school supplies as well as long hours at the computer are two of them. "In the last two years, we see that by age 14, 7% of children have back pain that causes them some kind of discomfort in their daily living," says Scott Bautch, DC, president of the American Chiropractic Association’s Occupational Health Council in Arlington, VA, and a chiropractor in private practice in Wausau, WI.
One cause of the problem is that children are carrying 30%-40% of their body weight in backpacks. Usually it is because they purchase enormous backpacks. Therefore, parents and children need to learn bigger is not always better. Children 8 years old and younger should never carry more than between 5% and 10% of their body weight in a backpack, says Bautch. Once children reach puberty, they can carry up to 15% of their body weight.
"The average textbook weighs six pounds," says Bautch. Therefore, it is important for parents, children, and teachers to work together so books do not have to be hauled back and forth between home and school every day. In addition to content, packing is important. The heaviest items should be placed close to the spine and those light items away from the spine.
Often, children will stuff their coat into the backpack before their books, which are the heaviest items, because the pack isn’t well padded. That’s where the selection process based on design comes into place. With a good backpack, most of the weight is carried on the hips. When selecting a mountaineering backpack, people are instructed to slide three fingers underneath the shoulder strap — to prove that the weight is not on the shoulders, says Bautch.
When the backpack is too heavy or the weight is distributed incorrectly, children have a tendency to fall down more easily, injuring themselves. "People will start to lean forward unless the weight is carried below their center of gravity. If the weight is carried high on their back or above their belly button, they will lean forward because they have to balance themselves," says Bautch. When the weight is on their hips, people stand up straighter to keep their balance.
Computers also a culprit
In addition to backpacks, long hours on the computer have become a problem. Most computer stations are made for adults. It is rare when a home computer is adapted to a child, says Bautch. "To fit, they will sit on the leg or hip and imbalance themselves and cause different postures," he says.
Parents should adapt the computer station to the child by placing pillows on the chair and putting a beanbag chair on the floor for the child’s feet. Adjusting a chair to fit a child will not work because the workstation will still be too high, says Bautch.
The ergonomics of the workstation are not the only problem when children use computers. Often, they spend too much time surfing the Internet or playing computer games. "Sitting in one position and not moving around causes back problems and joint development problems," says Bautch. Parents need to set computer time limits for their children and also make sure that children schedule time to move around.
Rather than let children develop bad habits when it comes to the use of backpacks and computers, he advises that adults teach them the proper way to use these tools in the first place.
Source
For more information about teaching children how to safely use backpacks and computers, contact:
- Scott Bautch, DC, President of the Occupational Health Council, American Chiropractic Association, 1701 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209. Telephone: (800) 986-4636. Web site: www.amerchiro.org.
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