Backpack dangers
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Posted 9:47 AM 9/3/2012 : Backpack dangers
The biggest pain for kids headed back to school could be their backpacks.
In Monday's Your Healthy Family, experts say children can severely hurt themselves if they try to pack too much into their bags.
We're told kids shouldn't carry more than 10% of their body weight. Dr. Eric Phipps of Heuser Chiropractic in Colorado Springs says he's seen a fair share of kids come in, complaining of back pain.
He says kids not only develop bad posture and soreness, they're also causing long term damage to their spine.
"The body is going to protect itself and by protecting itself, it's going to buckle, it's going to try and let itself compress even more to try and keep the nerves from being pinched. So wearing a proper backpack is important," says Dr. Phipps.
The compression can quickly lead to back spasms. So how to avoid the pain? Dr. Phipps says to make sure the backpack has wide straps and the weight is equally distributed on both shoulders.
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