Avoid back problems caused by backpacks in children

When the child leaves the house, we usually check if he is well dressed, clean, with the right clothes and if he is warm. But we do not see if you have the right material for the activities you are going to do or for the hours you will be away. It is very important to determine the transport mechanisms of everything you will use throughout the day to prevent possible back injuries.

Let’s do a light review of the transport material our children need, depending on where they are going, how long they will be away and, of course, what activities they will do throughout the day.

We are used to seeing in schools, leisure centers, in sports venues or even in natural environments, that they always carry the same backpacks that they usually use.

Before choosing the most suitable type of backpack for the child, we must make an initial assessment, very simple and that we can carry out quickly and effectively at home.

What do we need to assess?

We must take into account individually with our child a series of visual assessments that do not require great expertise. Later, when acquiring the backpack, it is advisable that we let ourselves be advised by professionals, who will solve the most technical and theoretical doubts and help us with any ergonomic dilemma.

It is essential that we observe how our child remains upright, how he steps (observe, for example, the sole of his shoes). Also how he walks, how he sits at the table at mealtime, in what way, even how he places himself or places himself in bed at bedtime.

Most important insights

Get behind the little one and take off his shirt (take advantage of bath time or while putting on his pajamas) and, as if it were a game, ask him to perform a series of movements or to maintain different postures. We will observe, in this way, your position in the standing position (standing) . Looking from behind, we can assess such important aspects as:

  • The alignment of the hips.
  • The height of the knees (that are at the same level).
  • Bilateral and balanced support of the feet.

Ask him to try to touch the tips of his feet with his fingers, so that you can appreciate the linearity of the spine, and thus value its curve and possible alterations.

The most suitable according to the activity

Once you have made the evaluations and observations of your child, now is the time to know where he is going or what activity he is going to do, that is, if he is about to leave home to go to school, if he is leaving to do some extracurricular activity , if you go with friends to exercise or practice some kind of sport . In addition to all these values, you must also take into account if you will be going out for a few hours or if you will spend a few days away from home, since the transport of material you need will be very different: it will change considerably in size and weight.

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