25/01/2023
It’s back to school for Aussie kids this week and backpacks can be heavier than usual.
Did you know...
🌸 A study by The Australian Spine Journal found the weight of the average school backpack is proportionally heavier than the legal load-carrying limits for adults?
🌸 79.1 percent of school children say their school backpack feels heavy
🌸 65.7 percent felt fatigued by the weights they were carrying
Some tips when purchasing and packing your child's backpack for the school year:
🌸 It should weigh less than 10 percent of your child’s body weight – for example, a child of 40kg should carry less than 4kg in their back pack.
🌸 When sitting, the backpack should not extend higher than the child's shoulders.
🌸 Choose a backpack with a moulded frame and an adjustable hip strap, so that the weight of the filled back pack will rest on your child’s pelvis instead of their shoulders and spine.
🌸 The shoulder straps should be adjustable, the rear padded for comfort and multiple compartments to ease packing and evenly distribute weight.
🌸 If heavy loads are needed to be carried regularly, consider buying a backpack with built-in wheels so the bag can be pulled along when it’s too heavy to be carried.
🌸 Pack the heaviest items closest to the child’s back. By packing the heaviest items further away, the child's centre of gravity changes causing unnecessary back strain.
🌸 Always carry with straps over both shoulders, never on one shoulder.
If your child is experiencing back pain please consult a paediatric trained physiotherapist for assessment and support.
For more information please feel free to contact us at 0400 422 492 or [email protected] 🌸
