Back to school season is here! 

The start of a school year is often an exciting time for kids, especially catching up with old friends (meeting new friends!)  and picking out school supplies, such as notebooks, pencils, lunch boxes and backpack. For many of us, our kids have already completed their first few weeks and the homework has begun! With increasing homework assignments, you may find that the weight of your child's backpack is becoming heavy to haul all of the work, material, and books needed to complete those school assignments. Your physical therapy team at the Pediatric Movement Center want's to educate you on issues caused by heavy backpacks and things you can do to prevent injuries!

Issues Caused by Heavy Backpacks

• Poor posture
• Muscle strain
• Numbness, tingling, and weakness in arms
• Increased pain
• Falls on stairs

Prevent/Decrease Risk From Heavy Backpacks

• Carry essential items only. This will lighten the load of a backpack
• Use lighter weight backpacks
• Use backpacks with two shoulder straps, rather than a bag with one strap
• Use backpacks with wider shoulder straps rather than narrow straps
• Reduce weight in backpack if possible
• Wear both shoulder straps to distribute weight
• Distribute weight between backpack pockets when possible 

More information can be found online at: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/backpack.html#catlearning

If your child has back pain, a doctor or physical therapist may be able to help. The physical therapy team at the Pediatric Movement Center (PMC) is happy to assess individual concerns regarding back pain. Call us today at 301-739-5437!