Q: I am concerned for my pre- and early-teen children who are now carrying backpacks full of books to and from school. What can I do to help them keep good posture? I see a lot of slouching and lopsided off-shoulder carrying of their bags. — Allison Lee, Edmonds, Wash.
A: From an early age our backs take a beating. Too often, our young children are slouched in front of TVs, over computers and gaming stations. On school days they struggle with the weight of backpacks full of books and school supplies. The weight of these backpacks causes the bearer to lean forward, which creates a distortion of the spine’s natural curves, which causes rounding of the shoulders.
If we consistently and persistently push our basic physical structure out of its natural ergonomic design, our health is adversely affected — and it’s no different for kids. According to the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics, 60 percent of all adolescents have experienced back or neck pain. If children develop a slouching posture at an early age, they can develop extreme physical problems in the future, such as hip and knee pain, headaches, fatigue, insomnia and even depression.
A June 2010 study published by the American Physical Therapy Association suggests that children should always carry their backpacks on both shoulders — not slung over one shoulder — to minimize damage to posture and to maintain proper gait and structural balance.
Most physical therapists also recommend that the packs have wide, padded shoulder straps, a padded back to protect the spine from sharp objects inside, and have plenty of storage compartments to allow for even distribution of weight. In general, the pack should weigh no more than 15 percent of the adolescent’s total body weight.
Parents have no easy time of it when it comes to backpack safety, however. Kids may think it is cool to carry packs slung over one shoulder and simply do not want to hear the familiar parental refrain, “Stop slouching! Stand up straight!” that is frequently woven into the cacophony of home life.
In “8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back” (Pendo Press, 2008, $24.95), licensed acupuncturist Esther Gokhale says the best teaching tool parents have is a good example, which makes it incumbent on all of us to correct ourselves when we allow our own bodies to slump, slouch and generally sit or stand in a way that is contrary to good health. “People with good posture can better withstand the effects of whole-body vibration, strenuous body positioning, weight, height, age, and even genetic predisposition to disc degeneration,” writes Gokhale, whose book is replete with pictures, exercises and instructions.
What makes for good posture? Gokhale recommends a visualization technique where you imagine stacking the blocks of the spine: the neck atop the upper back, atop the lower back atop the pelvis; then with the knees and finally the ankles. She also reminds children, “Imagine you have a tail. It should be out behind you (ducky butt), not under you (tucky butt).”
Denver physical therapist Rick Olderman, author of the “Fixing You” series (Boone Publishing, 2009, $11.99, ), suggests setting a minute aside after school to offset the damage inflicted throughout the day with a few simple yoga poses. “This could be done using simple and gentle yoga moves such as the Cobra, Cat and Cow, or Sun Salutation. All three of these positions promote spinal extension, the reverse of the flexion the kids are in most of the day,” says Olderman.
Linda J. Buch (linda@ljbalance.com) is a certified fitness trainer in Denver.
