Each year, coinciding with the return of the students to the classrooms, we try to warn about the consequences of excessive weight in school bags (according to sources, the maximum recommended is between 10 and 15 percent of body weight, which serves as a guide for 10, as a precaution).
And despite all the recommendations that parents receive, from the College of Physiotherapists of the Community of Madrid, it is warned that according to the data thrown by a survey conducted, Madrid schoolchildren carry 17% of their body weight, raising the risk of injury.
But to take care of our children's backs, we must not only 'weigh' the backpack, we need to internalize a series of habits, to transfer them to the smallest.
Sitting
Posture is important to prevent pain: the back should be straight and whenever possible, the arms or elbows supported at right angles, and when they feel, we will remind them to do it as close to the back of the chair as possible. It is convenient that the feet rest on the floor completely, and check that both books and keyboard and computer screen are accessible to the sight of children, so that they can maintain the posture and should not lean forward.
Anyway, we are not designed to spend a lot of time sitting, so between class and class students should be able to get up and stretch the body for a few minutes
School furniture should be adapted to the size of the child, and in the case of very tall children, the center should be asked to provide adequate table and chair
Movement = health
Physical activity reinforces and gives elasticity to the muscles of the whole body, and that is a very important reason (there are others) for children to walk, play outdoors, climb stairs, or play sports if they wish, some things we teach them by our example, others already know how to do them (the game) but our mission is not to inhibit them. There are many alternatives to spend the afternoon with the TV remote or the console in hand.
At bedtime
It is recommended to avoid the upside down posture (which by the way I find is the most uncomfortable), and choose to sleep on your side or up with your legs slightly raised. However, I think that once we are asleep we will adjust our posture several times, and it will be difficult for someone to keep it all night.
Parents are interested in knowing that cushion (neither too high nor too low) and mattress facilitate rest and help to take care of the back.
Let's go back to the backpacks
Not only does weight matter, because the load must be balanced, attached to the body, trying to wear the two braces on, and preventing the volume from exceeding the child's bottom, and that it is displaced to one side. And if we have bought a backpack with a cart (healthier option), it is better that the handlebar is of adjustable height, and that it alternates both arms to push it (instead of dragging it).
When carrying heavy handbags, the content should be divided into two
Finally, as part of the postular hygiene, when we bend down (we and the kids) to gain weight, we bend our knees so as not to overload our backs, and in this case use the leg muscles.
Remember: we can consider the back as the axis of the body, she is responsible for supporting a large part of her weight, we do not see it but it is very important for our health, and hence the importance of knowing how to take care of it. This is even more important if we talk about children, since their body is developing, and at this stage of life, inappropriate overloads and postures that could lead to permanent injuries should be prevented.
