{"id":973,"date":"2017-08-18T14:42:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-18T14:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/?p=973"},"modified":"2023-09-19T15:09:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T15:09:29","slug":"5-tips-for-preventing-spine-pain-caused-by-backpacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/5-tips-for-preventing-spine-pain-caused-by-backpacks\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips For Preventing Spine Pain Caused By Backpacks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Some people enjoy back to school shopping, while others hate it, but for the most part it doesn\u2019t really matter which colored pencils your kid gets or if they go with with the 24- or 48-pack of markers. However, there is one item you should pay a little more attention to this back-to-school season, because it can have an impact on your child\u2019s spine health<\/a>. We\u2019re talking, of course, about your child\u2019s backpack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backpack Buying Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a quick look at five tips to keep in mind to ensure your child\u2019s backpack doesn\u2019t jeopardize their spine health:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Quality<\/strong> \u2013 That Spongebob or Paw Patrol backpack may look cool, but if it\u2019s made of poor quality, it may end up putting abnormal stress on your child\u2019s spine. Just like when you\u2019re shoe shopping, spending a little bit more for better quality is a smart move because not only will they last longer, but they are also less likely to put undue stress on your body. Invest in a quality, durable backpack for your child for this year and for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Double Strap<\/strong> \u2013 Make sure your child\u2019s backpack has two straps and that they wear the backpack correctly, with a strap over each shoulder. Looping the backpack over one shoulder puts a lot of stress in one area of your spine instead of dispersing it more equally, and this can lead to back problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Height<\/strong> \u2013 You\u2019ll also want to ensure that the backpack sits at the right height for your child. A full backpack should sit in the middle and lower part of your child\u2019s back. If the backpack hangs down to their butt, it is too low and should be adjusted to a different height. A backpack positioned too low will torque your spine back, push your hips forward and stress your neck, which can cause huge alignment problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Avoid Wheels<\/strong> \u2013 You may be thinking \u201cI\u2019ll help protect my child\u2019s back by getting them a backpack they can roll instead of carry.\u201d That may sound good in theory, but it\u2019s not the best decision. Not only do these backpacks tend to be heavier because of their design, but kids still end up hoisting the backpack up multiple times each day to get on and off the bus, to get through doors and to avoid obstacles. Lifting the backpack throughout the day can overwork spinal muscles and other important muscle groups. A standard shoulder backpack will work just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Don\u2019t Overload It<\/strong> \u2013 Just because you can fit 50 pounds of stuff in your backpack doesn\u2019t mean you should carry that much weight everywhere you go. Talk to your child about packing the essentials and encourage them to keep things them won\u2019t need that day in their locker or at home. If you do need to carry a heavy backpack, take it off when possible and unload it sooner rather than later, otherwise you\u2019re only hurting your spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more tips on protecting your spine this back-to-school season, reach out to Dr. Chang today<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some people enjoy back to school shopping, while others hate it, but for the most part it doesn\u2019t really matter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=973"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":983,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973\/revisions\/983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidchangspine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}