Backpack Safety Program at Family Wellness Center

How exactly does carrying a backpack affect the spine? 

Common sense tells us that a heavy load distributed improperly or unevenly, day after day will eventually cause stress to a growing spinal column.  The old adage ‘as the twig is bent, so grows the tree’ come to mind.  We are seeing a growing concern about the improper use of backpacks and the relatively scarce amount of education and preventive information available to young people. 

Research stems from the increasing number of reports of childhood back pain in recent decades. By the end of their teen’s years, more than 50% of youth experience at least one low back pain episode (Spine 1998; 23:228-34).  New research indicates that this increase may be due, in part, to the improper use of backpacks on young spines.  Watch children in any schoolyard struggle to walk while bent sideways under the weight of an overloaded backpack on one shoulder, and you will realize the potential danger of this commonplace item.

That’s we are so excited to offer you and your child proper guidelines to avoid unnecessary injuries due to improper backpack use.  Please join us during the month of September when we will sponsor a Backpack Safety Check in our office.  Bring your kids and their backpacks to our office during regular office hours.  We will weigh the backpacks and discuss weight guidelines as well as teach your children how to wear them properly to prevent spinal injury. 

Please click on the link to watch a short video on backpack saftey.

http://backpacksafe.com/bsavid.html

We want your children to have a great school year and life. 
It begins with having a well-balanced nervous system, tools and resources.

Keep Your Spine in Line With Regular Chiropractic Adjustments!

FAMILY WELLNESS CENTER
25 Sheridan Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus NJ 07423
201-444-4408  www.nerveconnection.com