If your kids are dragging their feet on their way to school, it might not be natural kid-type reluctance — it might be a too-heavy backpack. And it’s more common than you might think.

Dr. Kaileigh Bresky, from LivChiro (livchiro.ca), has 11 years as a practising chiropractor with additional training in paediatrics and care for pregnant women. She shared information from her own expertise, and some numbers and pointers from an infographic prepared by one of her colleagues.

Research on the subject has shown that overloaded backpacks can lead students to adapt to the weight by altering their posture with the potential to do real harm to their spine and shoulders. Anywhere from 30 to 70 per cent of school-aged children will complain of back pain, with 20 to 30 per cent of children suffering from recurrent or chronic back pain.

Bresky said there are signs to watch.

“You might see their shoulders rolling forward, or one shoulder lower than the other.

Sometimes the neck leans to one side or the head tilts to try to compensate,” she said.

“They might have pain or numbness. They might be struggling to put on the knapsack or take it off. They might be slouching forward, or have red marks on their shoulders. There might be unevenness in the hips.”

It doesn’t take much to overload a backpack. A few ounces here and there add up quickly to a pound. Some books, a pair of shoes, pencil cases, lunch — that’s a workout for a child.

Think of it this way: rucking or rucksacking for adults is a strenuous exercise of walking or hiking with a loaded backpack or rucksack. Its foundation is in military training. Adults are recommended to start with 10 per cent of their body weight, gradually increasing to a target of 20 to 30 per cent. The maximum weight for a child’s backpack is 10 to 15 per cent of their body weight. For a 60 pound child, the maximum is six to nine pounds. For comparison, a gallon of milk weighs about 8.3 pounds. Up to 60 per cent of children carry backpacks that exceed their weight maximum.

You could say wearing an overloaded backpack is like sending your child out on a military fitness exercise. It’s not physically appropriate. You want less G.I. Joe and more Dora the Explorer.

Children’s bodies are still in development. Potential problems or injuries could include pain, posture issues or long-term musculoskeletal problems. So a backpack with a proper fit and learning how to carry the weight correctly are key.

“The things that we should be looking for when we’re fitting a backpack is it shouldn’t be wider or longer than the torso,” Bresky said.

“The shoulder straps are wide, padded and adjustable. The waist and chest straps help distribute weight better. The back panel is ideally breathable material and padded. The bottom of the backpack should rest on the lumbar curve 2 to 4 inches below the waist.”

The way the backpack is loaded also matters. Proper weight distribution keeps the backpack from pulling away from the body and down on the shoulders.

“My husband was just teaching my daughter this the other day when they were getting ready for school,” she said.

“Heaviest items should be closest to the back so there is less chance of back and shoulder pain.”

For children, both shoulder straps should be used.

“I do teach people this all the time for adults and children. If you’re used to wearing a purse or backpack on one shoulder only, try to avoid doing that. Do both sides or switch sides because it does end up in unevenness in the posture and sometimes pain,” she said.

Prevention is key. Even if the kids aren’t complaining of pain, if parents are noticing a postural issue, they should take care of it quickly. A chiropractic assessment can help to determine if some form of treatment is necessary and whether the backpack, or something else, is the cause. Bresky said unattended, these problems can become chronic or cause permanent injury,

“It’s really big to start addressing these problems earlier, before they’re in their teen or adulthood years so that they can have a better quality of life,” she said.

“It’s super important to get them checked for chiropractic care and help them to have a healthier future.

“It’s about care for your whole body.”

Finally, make it a habit with your child to unload and remove unnecessary items from their backpack daily or weekly. And teach them to lift the backpack using their legs, not their backs.

With the right fit, and not too much weight to carry, the kids will be practically skipping off to school.

» wendyjbking@gmail.com