It’s August, and for most of the children in our western Cleveland suburbs – North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls, Westlake, North Ridgeville, Fairview Park, Avon and Avon Lake – that means BACK to school (emphasis on back because we’re a chiropractic health center – backs, spines, … get it?)! It also means a few more things when it comes to your children’s spines and healthy chiropractic care. From those heavy back packs and sitting at desks all day long to getting back out on the playing field or participating in gym class, the school year brings on a new routine for spines. We’ve put together a few tips and resources for all our local parents to get those little ones to kick off their school year routines with healthy spines in mind.
Picking the Right Back Pack and Packing it With Spine Care in Mind
Last year we posted “Choosing a Backpack to Eliminate Pain & Posture” with some excellent tips and an easy to use diagram you can bring with you while shopping. We won’t go over it all again this year at the fear of sounding like a broken record, but be sure to revisit the post before buying this year’s backpack. This year we want to focus on the right way to pack the backpack to minimize the strain on your child’s back and spine:
- Put the heaviest things as close to the back as possible, close to their body.
- Put bumpy or odd-shaped things further away from the body.
- Keep the weight of their backpack at or under 10 percent of their body weight.
Ergonomics in the Classroom and Good Posture
We hear about workplace ergonomics all the time and how employers want to avoid repetitive injury claims like carpal tunnel and tendinitis so why are we not thinking about that when we send our kids to sit at a desk for 6 hours of the day? We should. “Avoid Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) With Ergonomics” is a previous post that has the perfect illustration for your child to have proper posture at their desk. The big tips to remember for your children to avoid neck and pack pain from poor posture are:
- Have their feet flat on the floor.
- Keep their shoulders relaxed.
- Sit with their back against the back of the chair.
- Keep their ears over their shoulders and their chin tucked slightly down.
- Keep any screens (or books) at eye level.
Back to School Physicals & Overall Physical Fitness
If your child is an athlete then you know they’ll need a pre-participation sports physical which we covered in our post “Where to Get Your Sports Physicals,” and our pricing this year has dropped to $25 in hopes to see more of your child athletes as we strive to become a health partner for families in our North Olmsted and surrounding communities.
However, even if your child is not participating in a sport this fall, usually going back to school means going back to gym class on a regular basis, which could be a heightened level of physical activity for your child. Prevent the chance of your child getting an injury by following these steps:
- Talk to them about warming up before their physical activities,
- Explain the importance of stretching when they’re done and
- Ask them to keep their activities appropriate for their age and ability in order not to strain, fracture or break something.
Visit, Email or Call Your N. Olmsted Chiropractor
So if you have any questions about your child’s chiropractic health heading into the school year – whether it’s about backpacks, posture, ergonomics, gym class, sports, or something else all together, call Dr. Neil and the team at Superior Spine Care at 440-716-8400, set up a sports physical or free back pack check using our contact us form or stop by during business hours to check out the clinic on Lorain Rd. in North Olmsted, minutes from Westlake, N. Ridgeville, Olmsted Falls, Avon Lake and Avon.
