I wish to highlight the cruelty our young children are being subjected to by the schools. It is a common sight to see young children carrying huge school bags strapped across the shoulders. The weight of the bag can be anything from 8 kg to 12 kg. Will some enlightened educationists enlighten us? Are we educating our children to training them to be the Coolies? Carrying such heavy weight by growing children will certainly produce defects in child’s spine and shoulder girdle.
Here are a few tips to prevent back pain from school bags: -
Plan ahead. Don’t let kids carry lots of equipment at the same time, like sports gear, musical instruments or art materials.
Consider more than looks when choosing a school bag. An ill-fitting school bag can cause back pain, muscle strain, or nerve impingement.
Make sure the school bag is sturdy and appropriately sized; bags have varying back lengths and widths so they do not slip around during movement.
Look for school bag with wide, padded shoulder straps which ergonomically contour to the child’s body, additional waist or chest straps will help keep the load close to the body and help maintain proper balance.
The bag should never be wider than chest width.
Encourage your child to use both shoulder straps and never sling the school bag over one shoulder.
The proper maximum weight for loaded school bag should not exceed 10% of the child’s body weight.
