Your Kids Are Too Young to Have Back Problems

(ARA) - When your kids come home from school, are they literally weighted down with homework? Wearing a backpack so heavy, they are slumped over and leaning forward when they walk? That's how 10-year-old Marquiese Jackson of Wichita, Kan., used to look every day.

"He'd come home from school very tired, with his shoulders slumped and kind of drooping. When he started experiencing back problems and complaining about headaches, I decided it was time to bring him to the doctor," says the boy's mother, Eileen Ward.

Marquiese is not alone. According to a Simmons College report, 55 percent of students carry more than the recommended guideline of 10 to 15 percent of their body weight around on their backs. Whether it's because the child can't get to his or her locker during the day, or simply because he is a pack rat, Dr. Jerry DeGrado, the National Backpack Safety Chairman at the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations, says it's a huge problem.

"Numerous studies have shown that putting a lot of weight on shoulder straps causes problems with the neck, mid back and low back. It is also to blame for headaches, fatigue, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs and complications for kids who have already been diagnosed with scoliosis of the spine," says Dr. DeGrado.

When he first saw Marquiese, Dr. DeGrado did an adjustment on his back which offered immediate relief; then told him and his mom that things had to change. "I told his mother to think of it this way. Your son weighs 65 pounds and is carrying 30 percent of his body weight or 20 pounds on his back. If you weighed 150 pounds that would be like you carrying 46 pounds around with you all day."

After offering that explanation, Dr. DeGrado then recommended that Marquise do the following:

#1 Lighten the load.
This can be done by taking all non-essential items out of the backpack and simply leaving them home. Then rearrange the books and folders the child does need to carry, placing the heaviest materials closest to the child's back.

#2 Purchase an ergonomically designed backpack for your child that will redistribute weight to promote an upright standing position and keep the spine straight.

Of all the ergonomically designed packs on the market, the one Dr. DeGrado likes best, and has on display in his office, is the AirPacks System by Core Products International. Developed by orthopedic professionals, the pack is clinically proven to reduce stress on the body by up to 80 percent and lighten the effective load by up to 60 percent.

To demonstrate how effective wearing the right backpack can be, Dr. DeGrado put Marquiese's 20 pound pack inside an AirPacks, then handed it back to him and asked him to put it on. "The pack felt so much lighter, my son was convinced the doctor had taken some of his books out and hidden them somewhere," says Ward.

The secret to the Airpacks' effectiveness at reducing back strain is its inflatable lumbar air cushion and wide foam-cushioned shoulder straps. They work together to redistribute weight from the shoulders to the hips and lower back, promoting an upright standing position.

"Once Marquiese started using the AirPacks, he stood up straighter, stopped complaining about back pain, and said his load actually felt lighter. I'm very happy with the results," says Ward.

Airpacks are available in many doctor's offices throughout the country, or you can purchase one direct from the manufacturer at www.CoreProducts.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent