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Choosing a Back Pack for Your Child
Choosing a back pack
can be a daunting task, especially with reports of children
experiencing back pain. With a multitude of colours, sizes and styles
to choose from, it's hard
to choose the right back pack for the child. It helps to look for the
following characteristics in a back pack:
- Shoulder straps should be
adjustable, fit comfortably, and not
cut into the arms
- The bottom of the back pack
should rest in the contour of the
lower back
- The bottom of the back pack
should not drift to the right or left
or sag down toward the buttocks
- Choose a pack made of light
weight material
- A padded back helps to
reduce pressure and prevent the contents
from digging into the back
- Padded, contoured shoulder
straps will help reduce pressure on
the shoulders and balance the weight evenly
- A waist belt or hip strap
helps to distribute some of the weight
to the pelvis
- Compression straps on the
sides or bottom of the backpack help
compress the contents of the backpack and stabilize the contents
- A reflective material makes
you more visible to drivers at night
- The top of the backpack
should not be higher than the shoulders
and the bottom of the pack should sit two inches above the waist
- The pack shouldn't be any
wider than the child's back
- Having several pockets
allows one to distribute the weight so
that heavier things get placed nearer the bottom, closer to the body.
According
to the Canadian Physiotherapy Association your back pack
should not weigh more than 10 to 15 percent of your body weight. Based
on these recommendations, here is a chart of recommended
weights:
Child's Weight
Maximum Weight of Back Pack
| 50
lb. |
(23
kg) |
5
- 7.5 lb. |
(2
-3.5 kg) |
| 60 lb. |
(27 kg) |
6 - 9 lb. |
(2.5 -4 kg) |
| 70 lb. |
(31.5
kg) |
7 - 10.5 lb. |
(3 - 4.5 kg) |
| 80 lb. |
(36 kg) |
8 - 12 lb. |
(3.5 - 5.4 kg) |
| 90 lb. |
(41 kg) |
9 - 13.5 lb.
|
(4 - 6 kg) |
| 100 lb. |
(45 kg) |
10 - 15 lb. |
(4.5 - 6.5 kg) |
| 110 lb. |
(50 kg) |
11 - 16.5 lb. |
(5 - 7.5 kg) |
| 120 lb. |
(54 kg) |
12 - 18 lb. |
(5.4 - 8 kg) |
| 130 lb. |
(59 kg) |
13 - 19.5 lb. |
(6 - 8.5 kg) |
| 140 lb. |
(63.5 kg) |
14 - 21 lb. |
(6.3 - 9.5 kg) |
For
more information on the relationship of back packs and back pain
click on the following article:
http://www.greatlakes-physiotherapy.com/back-packs-and-back-pain.html
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