“Back-to-School” evokes many images. Yellow school buses, bells ringing for the first hour class, and of course, shopping for school supplies like pencils, notebooks, folders, and backpacks. However, back-to-school should not also evoke images of children with backaches and pain, but for kids who use backpacks, this picture is becoming increasingly familiar. Overloaded backpacks have received a lot of attention in schools across the nation.

Backpacks have emerged as an escalating health and safety issue. In fact, the majority of school aged children carry backpack loads that are way too heavy for their developing bodies. If children are carrying too much weight on their backs or shoulders they may stretch or strain their muscles causing injury or curvature to their spine. Studies have indicated that long term exposure to heavy backpacks can cause spinal pain that becomes chronic and affects your every-day activities. Heavy or improperly worn backpacks promote abnormal posture and may cause or accelerate abnormalities such as scoliosis. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that approximately 6,174 emergency room visits were the result of spinal injuries stemming from heavy backpacks in 1999.

Do you make the following observations on a regular basis?

·  Students toting their backpack over one shoulder?

·  Backpacks overloaded causing the student to lean forward?

Are you asking these questions?

·  Is there a way to carry a backpack so that it won’t hurt your back?

·  Are there measures teachers and parents can take to prevent this?

Dr. Paul Piccione, DC would like to provide the elementary schools in the Redwood City School District with a complimentary educational program to address these questions. The backpack itself is not the cause of the problem. Instead, the problem stems from a lack of information regarding the safe and proper methods of backpack wear and use. Our presentation is an interactive 30 minute program specifically designed for children in elementary and middle school. The program would serve as an excellent resource for your school as the students will learn how to prevent injuries. We will not be promoting our clinic in any way. We will simply be talking about how to pack, lift, and wear a backpack so they will not hurt or damage a child’s spine. Additionally, we will be highlighting the features that a posture-friendly backpack should have, with the use of demonstration backpacks. Children love our program because it is fun and it is interactive.

If you would like to take advantage of this service which we are offering our community at no cost, please call our office at the number listed above. We have done this in the past at Back to School nights, at PTA meetings, etc. We are flexible in scheduling this program and will attempt to accommodate the times and dates that meet your needs.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Dr. Paul R. Piccione, DC