The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

12 themarkham economist sun school wellness saturday sept 30 2006 packs could be pain in back neck pack it properly layers pack the heaviest items such as large textbooks and bidders at the back of the pack closest to your childs back less stress at front lunch bags and pencil cases should in the front fill in blanks items such as mp3 players water bot tles and other small items should be evenly distributed in the pockets remember body weight children should carry no more than 10 per cent of their body weight in their pack and teenagers no more than 15 percent tighten straps make sure the pack fits close to the waist staff photosjoerd witteveen dr craig dingman demonstrates the proper way to fit a backpack on your child to ensure he does not experience back or neck pain he is fitting the bag on to his son jacksons shoulders choose right backpack fitting choose a size appropriate for your child limits the pack should go no lower than the top of the hip bones and no higher than the top of the shoulders comfortable straps the straps should be wide sshaped padded or adjustable padding there should be some padding between the back and the pack especially with a depression in the middle to accommodate the spine snug fit tightened waist straps around the hips can lift a large portion of the weight off your childs back fashion should not compromise your childs health experts say by teresa latchford staff writer if your children are complaining more frequently about headaches the answer could very well be on their backs everyday students cram more than possible into their backpacks before heading off to school however an improperly fitted pack or one packed the wrong way could wreak havoc on a childs spine auroras healing hands chiropractor dr shawna hord said children can experience pain in the neck and shoulders tingling in the arms or headaches she said it is recommended students carry no more than 10 to 15 per cent of their own body weight in their back packs to minimize stress on the spine she said a study which surveyed 237 schoolaged children found the average student carried 22 per cent of his or her body weight and one- third of children carry 30 per cent sixtyfive per cent of children sur veyed reported feeling tired and sore as a result and 46 per cent experi enced pain unfortunately we are a pain- focused society rather than a preven tative one dr hord said the majority of people do not realize backpacks have such an impact on a childs health until the child is experiencing pain strain on the spine is a given but this strain can also effect the nervous system if there are problem areas at the base of the neck not only does the neck and upper back get stiff and sore but the function of the heart and lungs may also be affected in the long run because the brain uses the nerves in this area to communicate with those organs fellow healing hands chiropractor dr craig ding- man said computer imaging is used at the clinic to determine problem areas of the muscular system and nerve func tion dr hord and dr dingman can then offer tips to remedy the prob lem if a child is getting pain signals they are losing nerve function that operates the organs in the body dr hord said it takes years to develop but over time it will become a seri ous health risk there are traditional backpacks with two straps onestrapped com puter laptop bags some with wheels to be toted around like luggage and the messenger or postman bag with one strap crossing the chest with the bag sitting against the hip said deepa pathmanathan an employee at bentleyis at markville shopping centre in markham the messenger bags are very popular she said i guess its because the kids really like the look of them even though a backpack is stylish children still need to be reminded health should not take a backseat to fashion kids think they are way cooler with the side messenger back packs richmond hill bayview north family chiropractor dr hay- dene lee said if it is absolutely nec essary to have children should at least pack them light and switch the side they are wearing it every day the best option is a double- strapped pack which is packed and fitted properly prevention is simpler than treat ing pain later on dr hord said proper item placement and distri bution of weight within the pack can alleviate strain on the spine by pre venting a child bending to compen sate for the weight tim maple mwb a pair 6f gold tickets to the toronto maple leafs season opener on october 4tlv plus a luxurious hmo ride to the game at the air canada centre a pair of toronto maple leaf jerseys courtesy of don preston of alkstar sports cards comics 0 0 j j f ivstio hill m laljvl ihr m wt ik l tjv i ilt li iivil j ssy s si j si fztss si si t ssls kmvr i iii luiiii i i i i m t ti 1 i