Going back to school brings with it all sorts of different stresses from packed schedules to dealing with social situations to worrying about back pain. It’s common for students of all ages to suffer from back pain due to their backpacks, their posture, and more. Back-to-school season brings with it less sleep, more stress, and health concerns, both physical and mental. In order to improve your health and avoid back pain, we’ve compiled this list of back-to-school chiropractic tips to help you and your loved ones prioritize your wellness.
#1. Choose The Right Backpack
Many students suffer from back pain due to either not wearing an ergonomic backpack or wearing their backpack improperly. It’s good to have a backpack that reflects your personality and style, but you want to ensure that it has wide, cushioned straps to help with weight distribution. You may also consider opting for a backpack that straps across your torso, which helps with even weight distribution. Having a backpack that is good for your back is a back-to-school chiropractic necessity.
#2. Wear Your Backpack Properly
Another important chiropractic tip for those going back to school is to ensure that you’re wearing your backpack properly. You should have both straps over your shoulders, with both at even lengths. The backpack shouldn’t go below your waistline. If it does or if you have a habit of slinging your backpack over a shoulder, rather than wearing it properly, this can lead to spinal misalignments and pain.
#3. Pack Your Backpack Correctly
Last chiropractic tip about backpacks here: ensure that you’re packing it correctly and being mindful of what goes into it. A backpack should weigh no more than 10-15% of your body weight. If it’s heavier than this, this can cause your body to try to compensate for the extra weight by leaning forward or by shrugging up your shoulders, both of which can lead to misalignment.
You also want to ensure that you’re packing the heavier items closer to your body and the lighter ones further away. If you pack light things close to your body and heavy textbooks further away from it, this impacts your balance and can lead to misalignments as your body tries to stay upright.
#4. Maintain Good Posture
Is it any surprise that one of the chiropractic tips for back-to-school wellness is maintaining good posture? Surprising it may not be, but important, it very much is. Many people brush off the importance of good posture until they start experiencing pain. It can be very easy to slouch and slump when you’re sitting at a desk for hours on end or studying and doing homework. This can cause stress on your back.
You want to do your best to maintain good posture. This means keeping your feet flat on the ground and your back against your chair. Your shoulders should be back, and your head and neck should be over them. Ideally, books and screens should be at eye level, but this isn’t always possible when studying. Taking breaks to get up and stretch and walk about can help. If your teacher is opposed to students getting up during class, there are chiropractic stretches you can do to help keep everything in alignment.
It’s common for people to lean too far forward when studying. This puts a lot of strain on your neck and your spine, as your head is quite heavy. You can use a stand that tilts towards you in order to prevent your head from tilting over your shoulders.
#5. Get Enough Sleep
Easier said than done, right? However, getting enough sleep is among the most important chiropractic back-to-school tips. Sleep is when your body recovers from the day. Not getting enough not only leaves you tired, it also impacts your mental and physical function. This can make it difficult to concentrate and perform well. By setting a set bedtime and reducing screentime 2 hours beforehand, it can be easier to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and hopefully get enough sleep.
It can be especially hard to get enough sleep if you’re in pain. Chiropractic adjustments can help with this. Your chiropractor can help guide you through proper sleep positions and pillows that you can use in order to protect your back while you’re sleeping.
Back-To-School Chiropractic Care In Ogden
Ogden Chiropractic can provide you with the care you or your child needs in order to maintain better health throughout the school year. We can advise you on how to properly wear a backpack, maintain good posture, and sleep strategies to protect your back, as well as offer chiropractic treatments for any pain you may be experiencing. Contact us today to learn more about our services and to schedule an appointment.
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