Back to School Safety Tips: Give Your Child a Healthy Head Start
Are your kids getting ready to start a new school year? Amidst all the excitement over new teachers, new classes, and seeing old friends again, it can be easy to overlook seemingly minor safety and health concerns. Little things like selecting a properly padded backpack or getting a sports physical really do make a difference for your child’s health! Taking preventive steps now can help reduce the risk for future pain and injuries.
Our Scottsdale Chiropractor Shares Tips to Start the School Year
From selecting the right backpack to reducing the risk for sports injuries, our Scottsdale, AZ chiropractor, Dr. Daniel P. Secrest, DC shares his top back-to-school safety tips:
- Backpack safety. Heavy, poorly designed backpacks increase the risk for lower back pain and poor posture. Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back to correctly distribute weight. Pack light! A backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 20 percent of a child’s body weight. Remind your child to always use both shoulder straps for even weight distribution. If you’re worried about heavy textbooks, consider a rolling backpack as an alternative to toting a heavy load.
- Sports safety. Whether your child is trying out for the varsity football team or joining a youth soccer league, a pre-season sports physical is an important check-up. Our Scottsdale chiropractor recommends annual sports physicals to make sure your child is healthy and physically in shape to participate in sports. Sports physicals are also an opportunity to talk to your child about the safest ways to participate in youth sports while decreasing the risk for possible injury.
- Spinal safety. Did you know that chiropractic adjustments are safe for children of all ages? Keeping the spine correctly aligned supports healthy posture and development. Our chiropractor, Dr. Secrest, DC offers pediatric chiropractic care that can also help address common childhood ailments such as ear infections and colds, as well as backpack injuries and sports injuries. Start the school year with a gentle, back-to-school chiropractic adjustment.
Questions about pediatric chiropractic care for your child? Contact our Scottsdale, AZ chiropractor at 480-994-4411.