Kids carry heavy backpacks with school supplies. Many times the backpack is carried over one shoulder pulling on one side of the neck. This causes one shoulder to be higher than the other. This can start to cause postural problems, headaches and neck pain. Also, because the load is so heavy, kids often bend over pushing their head forward causing more stress on the neck and shoulders. Research has come back showing that kids backpacks can be up to 30% of their body weight. That is pretty heavy and to carry this load several days a week can have some huge affects on the body!
Prolonged stress on the back not only causes upper back and neck problems but lower back problems because of the strain on the spinal column. Posture can be greatly affected because children are still very flexible and growing. Please choose ergonomic backpacks that put less stress on the back and shoulders and ALWAYS have both straps around the shoulders to prevent unnecessary stress on the body. This will enable your child to have a fighting chance against postural problems in the future!
Here are some things to look for when buying a backpack:
- Padded backs to help reduce pressure on shoulders, arms and back.
- Belts for the hip and chest to aide in proper weight distribution.
- Multiple compartments so that items can be placed in the pack with better balance and distribution plus keeping them secure and easy to access.
- Stabilizing compression straps on the sides and bottom to help secure and compress the contents.
- Reflective patches to increase pre-dawn or night safety.
Hope this helps!
Causes:
The bones, ligaments and tendons around your shoulder joint are encased in a capsule of connective tissue. Frozen shoulder occurs when this capsule swells and thickens tightening the shoulder joint, restricting its movement and causes pain.
Frozen shoulder is often initially ignored when symptoms first occur because the pain subsides within a few days so people think it is just a short term problem. It will come back and when it does it is more painful and lasts longer. Scar tissue and inflammation re-occur and continue to restrict the shoulder from moving properly.
This problem takes a long time to see full results but it can be alleviated.
Frozen shoulder has three stages:
- Stage one: The “freezing” or painful stage, which may last from six weeks to nine months, and in which the patient has a slow onset of pain. As the pain worsens, the shoulder loses motion.
- Stage two: The “frozen” or adhesive stage is marked by a slow improvement in pain but the stiffness remains. This stage generally lasts four months to nine months.
- Stage three: The “thawing” or recovery, when shoulder motion slowly returns toward normal. This generally lasts five months to 26 months.
Risk Factors:
- Age: People 40 or older are at risk
- Repetitive jobs especially jobs which require raising the arms over the head
- Injuries to the shoulder which causes improper movement of the shoulder adding to inflammation.
Treatment:
Inflammation must be decreased before exercises can really be beneficial. Scar tissue must be broken and new healthy tissue must take its place. Sound Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization can decrease scar tissue and increase mobility. We can also train your shoulder to move properly to prevent further injury.