Time to get ready for Back to School

#BeavertonHealth&Happiness

It’s August, so the end of summer is near. The time that most children dread, and most parents wait for, because the beginning of school is just around the corner.

Once September rolls around, children will be back in school. And with that there will be backpacks and sitting at desks – or Chromebooks and kitchen tables. Each scenario brings postural stress and strain to the body of the child. And with the stress comes an increase in sickness and/or future health consequences.

For many, it is assumed that a child’s body is more adaptive to physical stresses because they are younger and still growing. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Abnormal posture can set a child up for a lifetime of back pain, neck pain, headaches and more.

So, what should be done?

When in the classroom, be sure the child is careful as to how many books get placed in their backpack. Ideally the total weight of the pack should be no more that 15% of the child’s total body weight.

When studying at home, assess the positioning of the computer or Chromebook. Sitting on a bed, or hunched over a coffee table is very hard on the spine of a child.

A suggestion for homeschoolers would be to have them stand up, wiggle around, and stretch every 30 minutes or so, then back to work.

Regardless of which schooling option a child takes, making sure that their spine is functioning at it’s best is critical for short term and long-term health. Getting an evaluation by a chiropractor that works with children can go a long way to prevent permanent damage to the developing spine of a child. A great resource to find a chiropractor in your area is the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (icpa4kids.com).

More information can be found on my website www.BeavertonFamilyChiropractic.com. Dr. Dan Miller has been serving the Beaverton area since 1992. He has long held the belief that good health begins before birth.