5 signs your kid's backpack is too heavy
Ah, summer. That means no jam-packed backpacks in my house. No lunches stuffed into packs with all the other gear necessary for school. No bags sent home overflowing with folders and papers and all sorts of things, like library books, we try so hard not to lose. Nope, my kids' backpacks are sitting on a shelf in our laundry room in all of their sedentary glory. Before long, though -- about six weeks here in my city -- school will begin again, which means the backpacks will be out in full force.Don't pack them until they're heavy, says the U.S. National Safety Council. Loaded backpacks can strain young backs and shoulders, causing pain and injury. Instead, check your child's bag each day and remove any items that aren't needed -- that would be rocks for my guys who like to collect and store them in hidden compartments. Also, make sure your kids use both straps to distribute the load evenly. Not sure you're doing everything the right way? Here are five warning signs your kids' packs are too heavy.
- A difference in posture when wearing the backpack.
- Significant difficulty in putting the backpack on or taking it off.
- Complaints of pain or discomfort when the backpack is on.
- Red marks on the skin from the backpack straps.
- Feelings of numbness or a tingling sensation, especially in the back or shoulders.
Your shoulder joints are among the most mobile you have, and their safety comes from the stability provided by the muscles and ligaments that surround them. That's why an imbalance in these stabilizing muscles can oftentimes result in injury.
Has a lower-leg injury kept you out of the race lately? Well, there's a good chance the cause of this injury is actually related to your hips.
When playing sports as a kid, the same piece of advice was always dished out by coaches if I was hit by a wild pitch, twisted an ankle running for a loose ball, or got the wind knocked out of me after a hard tackle: "Walk it off." The sport didn't matter, the type of injury seemed inconsequential, and the amount of pain involved seemed to not be a factor, either. Walk it off ... the panacea for all childhood sports injuries.
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