Hyderabad, February 25: School bags are a major source for injuries among children. And yet, on most occasions, parents tend to overlook this factor. Sometimes, parents justify by saying that they too had carried heavy school bags when they were young and nothing happened to them. Many parents also simply fail to notice the pain and fatigue, which are common among children who are burdened by heavy school bags.
In recent times, however, spine specialists and orthopaedic doctors have started linking heavy bags with problems of spine, postural defects and back pain among children. Many also maintain that parents should not allow children to carry bags that are heavier than 10 per cent of their body weight.
This means that if a child weighs 30 kilograms, then parents must make sure that the child does not carry a school bag weighing more than three kilograms. If the load is more, then children tend to devise their own methods to carry heavy bags.
“Children unintentionally arch their backs and lean forward to carry the heavy load. Unwittingly, this leads to poor posture like slouching when they grow up. When they reach their adolescent stage, many youngsters are unable to maintain the right posture,” says spine surgeon, Dr. G. P. V. Subbaiah of Global Hospitals.
Doctors also suggest that children, including teenagers, should avoid wearing heavy bag only on one shoulder. “Such a habit makes youngsters lean towards one side to compensate for the extra weight. This leads to asymmetrical spine, back pain and strained neck and shoulders,” doctors point out.
Sometimes, children tend to bend forward while carrying heavy backs. Doctors maintain that this posture will force children to work harder to breath and in turn put a lot of pressure on lungs. “Some back pains can be treated by medication. But it is always is better to take preventive measures,” Dr. Subbaiah said.
-Agencies