Is your child's school bag damaging their spine? If it's too heavy or incorrectly carried it might be. Do them a favour and encourage them to use their backpack correctly and take some simple steps to prevent back complaints.

Many of us complain of back pain at some stage in our lives and for some it becomes a debilitating condition. Children also suffer from back and neck pain, however, by teaching our kids to take care of their spines from an early age we can help prevent serious damage to their spine and surrounding muscles.

The pain can be due to a number of factors, including poor posture, prolonged sitting, the use of computers, and every-day load carrying such as the heavy school bag.

Children need to be reminded that a heavy bag, and carrying their bag incorrectly, can result in a back injury which can prevent them from participating in sport and other recreational activities, not least of all, causing them pain from spinal stress and dysfunction.

A backpack that has wide straps and allows for even weight distribution across the shoulders and is adjustable to allow for proper fitting and growth is the best choice.

Generally, a young person should not lift anything that is more than ten per cent of their body weight and remind your kids to lift their backpack safely by bending at the knees and keeping their back straight.

Encourage them to develop good posture, sensible lifting and generally take care of their back. Promote physical activity to strengthen their back and teach them to always warm up before any strenuous exercise.

Remember that a back injury can negatively impact your child's health for years to come so do them a big favour and make sure they have a backpack which fits properly, isn't too heavy and is carried correctly.

by Melanie Roberts