FURTHER INFORMATION
Backpack Safety
Many children across Scotland will head to school without much thought given to the weight, style or use of their backpacks. With use of lockers in schools on the decline, children are being asked to become walking libraries without due consideration of this effect on their growing spines.
How exactly does carrying a backpack affect the spine? Common sense tells us that a load distributed improperly or unevenly, day after day, is indeed going to cause stress to a growing spinal column and cause postural problems.
In the Eskbank Clinic we use a particular postural rehab technique referred to as ‘Body Weighting’. As an example if a person has a low shoulder we may apply a weighted belt, which forces the person to contract the necessary muscles to raise the shoulder. We usually have the person walk on a treadmill with this weighted belt for a period of 10 – 20 minutes, which is effective for changing posture. In some circumstances our children are body weighting incorrectly for much longer periods of their day.
Please have a look at the accompanying photos of showing postural changes with a 7lb (front view) and 10lb (side view) backpack.
Straighten Up Campaign
The Scottish Chiropractic Association has a national campaign to help us to “straighten up”, improving our posture and reducing back pain. The campaign is centred on Straighten Up Scotland exercise leaflets.
Posture is very important, particularly now that people lead such sedentary life-styles. Poor posture results in head, back, neck and nerve pain plus repetitive strain injury, at a huge cost to society in lost working days as well as to our own quality of life. The exercises in the Straighten Up Scotland leaflet are quick and easy and only take three minutes. By repeating the exercises regularly, you can make a really big difference to your own health and well-being”.
Exercises
Scottish Chiropractic Association
Chiropractors, Chris and Lori Thomson and are both members of the Scottish Chiropractic Association. Chris Thomson is also the current Vice-President of the Association.
The Association was formed in 1979 and has since grown rapidly. There are now over 60 members practising in Scotland and over 120 associated members located in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Island and various other countries around the world.
You can read more about the Scottish Chiropractic Association at their website.