During peak hours in the morning, one thing that you will see with most Singaporeans is their backpacks, no matter whether they are students heading to school or working adults heading to their offices.
One alarming factor that most of them fail to prioritise is the way they carry their backpacks, which ends up affecting their overall health, especially the spine. In this article, we will explore the three things you need to remember when carrying your backpack.
1. Avoid carrying a heavy backpack
Many individuals use a backpack over a shoulder bag because it is able to distribute the weight of your bag’s contents evenly across your body. However, carrying a backpack that is too heavy, especially for developing children, can lead to upper back pain and poor back development. A heavy backpack causes you to lean forward to compensate for the extra weight that is pulling you back, resulting in the unnatural contortion or compression of your spine, which then leads to back pain and poor spinal development in young children.
You should not be carrying a backpack that weighs more than 10 per cent of your overall body weight. Avoid trying to squeeze everything into your back. If you cannot avoid doing so, then opting for a roller bag can take the burden off your shoulders and back, avoiding the need for upper and lower back pain treatments.
2. Minimise shifts and bounces
We see a lot of students carrying loose bags that end up being low. If you are a parent, you will want to ensure that their bags are not loose and that their contents are not shifting and bouncing around, as it can place their spine with unnecessary stress, which can lead to the development of bulging discs.
Minimising any shifts and bounces by tightening their shoulder straps as close as possible to their back, and ensuring that its contents are properly secured, can help your child avoid the development of spinal issues. When doing so, it is imperative to prioritise fit and comfort at all times. Hence, always get them to test the bag, especially when buying a new one.
3. Do not carry it on one side
It is common to see people carrying their backpacks on one side of their body. Yet not many know that they are harming their back. This is because carrying it on one shoulder results in the body being in an awkward posture for an extended period of time.
As a result, the spine has to compensate for the poor weight balance to support the rest of the body so that the carrying shoulder will not drop, causing your gait to be thrown off by development of posture and skeletal imbalance that causes aches and pains.
With that being said, it does not affect only that age group but also adults as well. Hence, should you experience any back pains or uneven hips or shoulders, it is a sign to get your body treated and fixed.
Conclusion
It is vital that you get your pains and aches treated as early as possible to prevent any further musculoskeletal issues from developing. Chiropractic care is a non-invasive method that can improve any abnormal curvature. Not only does it relieve any uncomfortable symptoms, but it also can improve overall health.
Healing Hands Chiropractic’s holistic approach ensures that you are cared for from start to end. With various treatment procedures, such as spinal adjustments, physical stretching therapy, and electrical stimulation therapy, we are able to help fix not only your spinal posture but also other areas, such as sports performance and headaches, as well as make your pregnancy as comfortable as possible. For all corporate employees, we also offer corporate wellness programs for businesses that want to adopt better overall health and wellness in the workplace.
Do not hesitate any further. Contact us to experience a pain-free life with chiropractic care today!
