Each year hospitals treat thousands of children suffering from backpack-related injuries. Many of these result from carrying too much weight. Is your child using a backpack that is incorrectly sized? Is it configured properly?

When it comes to picking out the right backpack, here are four questions to ask yourself:

• Are the shoulder straps adjustable?
• Is the backpack padded?
• Are there interior compartments to hold items in place?
• Is the backpack the right size for my child?

If the answer is “yes” to each question, you may have found the perfect backpack. Go a step further and teach your child how to properly pack them by positioning contents for little movement and making sure the entire pack weighs less than 10% of their body weight.

Wondering what else you can do? Feel free to schedule an appointment at our practice for a quick loaded backpack evaluation with your child.