Your Child’s School Backpack Should Fit Them Properly to Avoid Back and Neck Problems

A backpack is one of the first things on any back-to-school shopping list, and getting the right backpack for your child is one of the most important tasks of back-to-school shopping. An ill fitting, heavy backpack can cause back and neck strain that will eventually result in long-term back pain. Follow these guidelines for finding the ideal fitting backpack for your child.

Determine the size of backpack that your child should wear.

Small children should be fitted with smaller packs. The size of backpack that is safe to carry increases as your child grows. The size of the backpack can be discussed with the spine surgery expertise. A correct backpack will protect the child from the getting any back or nerve damage. The child should be comfortable in carrying the backpack to school.

The width of the backpack should be about 2-4 inches narrower than your child’s back, so there should be about 2 inches of space between the armpit and the edge of the backpack. The bottom of the backpack should be lower than the hip line or about 4 inches below the belly-button. Fitting a backpack according to these measurements will help transfer the weight of the pack off the neck and back and onto stronger core muscles.

A well fitting backpack has 2 padded shoulder straps.

While sling backpacks are stylish and popular, these single strap packs put the full weight of the pack on just one side of the body. Wearing a backpack with just one strap will usually result in the child leaning to counterbalance the load. This results in an odd, uncomfortable posture and will eventually cause muscle problems.