As another school year starts, kids are eager to get back to class. There are many great things about the start of school. There is the excitement about a new teacher, learning new things, seeing old friends and meeting new classmates. By now, most parents have finished back to school shopping and purchased all the necessary supplies. There are #2 pencils, ink pens, lined notebook paper and pocket folders, but the most important decision of the year is buying the proper backpack for your young students. Let's see if your purchase makes the grade!

Backpacks come in all sizes, colors, fabrics and shapes and help kids of all ages express their own personal sense of style. Many packs feature multiple compartments that help students stay organized while they tote their books and papers from home to school and back again. Almost every child seems to carry one in some form or another.

While backpacks are one of the most convenient ways to carry books and school supplies, an overloaded and/or improperly worn backpack gets a failing grade, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Recent studies have reported that up to 64% of school aged children suffer from back pain. Although many factors can lead to back pain, some kids have backaches because they are lugging around their entire locker's worth of books, school supplies and assorted personal items all day long.

To help understand how heavy backpacks can affect a child's body, it helps to understand how the back works. The spine is made up of 33 bones called vertebrae, and between the vertebrae are discs that act as natural shock absorbers. When a heavy weight, such as a backpack filled with books, is incorrectly placed on the shoulders, the weight's force can pull a child backward. To compensate, a child may bend forward at the hips or arch the back, which can cause the spine to compress unnaturally. The heavy weight causes a lot of children to develop shoulder, neck and back pain.

"The extra stress placed on the spine and shoulders from heavy loads is causing children to develop adult-like back problems," said Dr. Christine Ho, a pediatric orthopedic specialist at Children's Medical Center and assistant professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "The most common injuries are muscle strains and, in extreme cases, slipped discs. Some injuries could lead to long term conditions if not avoided."

There have been increasing reports of childhood back pain for the last several years. The Consumer Product Commission has found that every year, more than 10,000 children ages 5 to 14 see their doctors with backpack-related complaints. By the end of their teen years, more than 50% of youths experience at least one low back pain episode, and research indicates that this increase may be due to improper backpack use.

While these numbers may be alarming, what matters most is that your child may be one suffering from pain caused by improper backpack use. Premiere Physical Therapy can help your child feel better through our "Spine Rehabilitation Program." Ask their doctor for a referral to Premiere Physical Therapy. It is your choice where you want to go for treatment! As always, our therapists will give you one on one attention with one goal, when we're done, "LIFE FEELS BETTER!"

Next week we will give you some useful tips on how to keep your child safe while using a backpack...

Do you experience sharp pain in your shoulder when raising your arm over your head?

Do you experience stabbing pain in your shoulder when reaching behind your back?

Does your shoulder pain limit your normal daily activities?

If you have answered yes to one or all of these questions, then you need to know what to do to alleviate your shoulder pain. Many people experience shoulder pain at some time in their lives. The most common cause of shoulder pain is impingement syndrome, or a pinching of the rotator cuff from part of the shoulder blade as the arm is lifted. The pain usually starts out mild and progressively gets worse as it is left untreated. This condition can be a result of mild trauma or suddenly appear for no reason, but it usually occurs in individuals who perform repetitive lifting or overhead activities (i.e. painters, mechanics and construction workers).

Common symptoms of shoulder impingement include:

• Minor shoulder pain present both with activity and at rest.
• Pain radiating from the front of the shoulder down to the side of the arm.
• Sudden, sharp pain with lifting or reaching overhead and out to the side.
• Inability to hold your arm overhead while working.

With warmer temperatures right around the corner, you don't want to be sidelined by your shoulder pain! You need to get out on the golf course, play softball with your friends and play in the backyard with your kids without feeling excruciating pain in your shoulder.

Premiere Physical Therapy can help you get rid of your shoulder pain! Our therapists use our "shoulder rehabilitation program" to accomplish this every day in all three of our locations.

Ask your doctor for a referral to the Premiere location nearest you so we can help you! As always, we will give you one on one attention with one goal, when we're done, "Life Feels Better."