This week begins the school season in our country and in order to educate parents and children about the back care of children, the Confederation of Consumers and Users (CECU) offers us tips for the school bag does not harm the health of children.
To start, the size of the backpack has to be appropriate to the age and size of the children, because if you buy large waiting for it to serve for many years, what you can get is that the weight of the backpack harms the area lumbar, much more sensitive than the dorsal area.
The CECU affirms that “the ideal backpack is the one that rests and adapts to the curve formed by the dorsal vertebrae, taking care that its lower part is about five centimeters above the waist”.
The weight that the child must bear on his back should not exceed the equivalent of 10% or 15% of his weight, this may vary according to the constitution, age and physical condition of the child. But as happens on many occasions, there are also experts, such as the team at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, which ensures that school bags do not cause deviations or increase the curvature of the spine, although the pressure suffered in the joints Because of the weight is excessive, they do produce pain.
Some traumatologists also affirm that the weight of the school material is not a burden so heavy as to cause spinal injuries, which we do not share at all.
We recommend that although some experts grant medical recommendations that state that the child's health is not affected by the school bag, always watch over your child, prevent and adapt the burden to the child so that he does not suffer consequences that may or may not happen, it will always be beneficial.
Following the thread of the news, the CECU also recommends that when buying a backpack you have to make sure that it has regulation straps and a system that fixes the backpack at waist level. The greater weight that is introduced in the backpack must be attached to the back, area of the backpack that must be padded and take advantage of all the compartments or dividers of this to distribute as much as possible the weight of the objects to be transported.
Other habits that children should acquire are, for example, the technique that they must perform when lifting the backpack, flexing their legs and making strength with them.
You can see an infographic on children's ergonomics in the link below, and remember, postural hygiene and back care should be started and maintained throughout life.
