Aching backs and shoulders? Tingling arms? Weakened muscles? Stooped posture? Does your child have these symptoms after wearing a heavy school backpack? Carrying too much weight in a pack or wearing it the wrong way can lead to pain and strain. Parents can take steps to help children load and wear backpacks the correct way to avoid health problems.
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WEARING THE BACKPACK: • Distribute weight evenly by using both straps. Wearing a pack slung over one shoulder can cause a child to lean to one side, curving the spine and causing pain or discomfort. • Select a pack with well-padded shoulder straps. Shoulders and necks have many blood vessels and nerves that can cause pain and tingling in the neck, arms, and hands when too much pressure is applied. • Adjust the shoulder straps so that the pack fits snugly on the child’s back. Apack thathangs loosely from thebackcanpull thechildbackwardsand strain muscles. • Wearthewaistbelt ifthebackpackhasone.Thishelpsdistributethepack’s weight more evenly. • Thebottomof thepackshouldrest in thecurveof the lowerback. Itshould never rest more than four inches below the child’s waistline. • School backpacks come in different sizes for different ages. Choose the rightsizepack foryourchildaswellasonewithenoughroom fornecessary school items.
Aching backs and shoulders? Tingling arms? Weakened muscles? Stooped posture?Doesyourchildhave thesesymptomsafterwearingaheavyschool backpack? Carrying too much weight in a pack or wearing it the wrong way can lead to pain and strain. Parents can take steps to help children load and wear backpacks the correct way to avoid health problems. LOADING THE BACKPACK: • A child’s backpack should weigh no more than about 10% of his or her body weight. This means a student weighing 100 pounds shouldn’t wear a loaded school backpack heavier than about 10 pounds.
• Load heaviest items closest to the child’s back (the back of the pack).
• Arrange books and materials so they won’t slide around in the backpack.
• Check what your child carries to school and brings home. Make sure the items are necessary for the day’s activities. • If the backpack is too heavy or tightly packed, your child can hand carry a book or other item outside the pack. • If the backpack is too heavy on a regular basis, consider using a book bag on wheels if your child’s school allows it.
• Only put items in your backpack that you need for the day.
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F O R T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L AT H L E T E
E X E R C I S E E S S E N T I A L S USE THIS EXERCISE TO RELIEVE BACK PAIN Single Knee to Chest Lie flat on your back with both knees bent, feet flat on floor. Bring one knee up toward your chest high as you can, using your arms to gently pullknee further.Returntostartingpositionandrepeatwiththeopposite leg. Repeat 6-10 times. 3. USE PROTEIN AS THE ANCHOR FOR YOUR MEALS. If you are or know of an athlete, you understand that protein is an important factor in building and maintaining muscle mass; however, even non-athletes can benefit from adding protein to their diets, as it not only helps maintain muscle mass, but can also improve cognition and sleep. 4. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SLEEP TO INCREASE RECOVERY. After a long day of hiking, working out, or other physical activity, the best way to recover from muscle soreness and even build muscle is eating protein right before bed! Help charge the recovery process overnight by consuming some pre-bed, slow digesting protein. These protein sources before bed will turn what is an otherwise catabolic 8 hours into productive recovery, repair and growth. 5. PREP YOUR MEALS. If you’re the kind of person that worries about being late to work or frequently has to rush around throughout the day, then you probably have the temptation to eat unhealthy fast foods or microwaveable meals; however, a healthy–and usually overall cheaper–alternative is prepping healthy meals the night before a work day. Planning and prepping your meals ahead of time insures that you make better choices. Sources:http://www.yourworkoutbook.com/nutrition-athletes/
1. MIND YOUR GREENS. Those who have previously been on a diet know that the primary focus is almost always on carbs and protein. One provides the fuel, and the other provides the restorative power to heal our muscles and keep us training at a high level. Protein and carbs are important, but so are the minerals and vitamins that facilitate their delivery and help to process them. Eat vegetables at every major meal, and try layering your vegetables. Have two or three different veggies at a time. 2. EAT BERRIES TO BOOST RECOVERY. Want an easy way to reduce soreness from lawn work or outdoor activities? Eating 1-2 cups of berries a day after physical activities will not only re-energize, but also reduce sore muscles!
Exercisescopyrightof
Alwaysconsult yourphysical therapistorphysicianbeforestarting exercises youareunsureofdoing.
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WH AT O U R P AT I E N T S A R E S AY I N G :
UPCOMING EVENTS
“Very pleased! I needed posture improvement and re-alignment. Stooping all day had created a “candy cane” posture. Exercises and physical therapy at Accelerate helped me jump start my re-alignment. Posture improvement exercises also helped my running and swimming training.” - Vaughn N.
NECK & SHOULDER PAIN WORKSHOP THURSDAY, JULY 18 6 pm at the Lexington Location
THURSDAY, JULY 25 6 pm at the Salisbury Location
H E A L T H Y R E C I P E RED, WHITE, & BLUE PATRIOTIC POPSICLES
INGREDIENTS • 1 cup greek yogurt
• honey, agave, or other sweetener (optional) • popsicle molds (substitute small cups with flat bottoms) • popsicle stick
(substitute coconut milk, coconut cream, or coconut yogurt)
• 1/2 cup blueberries • 1 cup strawberries
FREE BACK PACK FITTINGS & POSTURE SCREENINGS WEDNESDAY, JULY 31 10 am - 3 pm at the Salisbury Location
INSTRUCTIONS Make your white stars by making white, star-shaped “ice cubes” out of the greek yogurt (To avoid mess, use a syringe toeasilyfill thecompartments).Meanwhile,makeapureewithblueberries,addingoptionalsweetener ifdesired.Adda whitestar to thebottomofaflatbottomedpopsiclemoldorsmallcupswithaflatbottom. Immediatelycover themwith your blueberry puree and freeze again. Once frozen, add a layer of yogurt or coconut. Place the popsicle stick into the yogurt layer. I used some aluminum foil to hold the stick up, and then placed them into the freezer to freeze the stick in place. Puree the strawberries. When the yogurt layer is frozen, cover it with a layer of strawberry puree and freeze again.Follow theprocesswithonemore layerofyogurtandonemore layerofstrawberrypuree.Whenready toserve, ease the popsicles out gently by warming the sides of your cups with warm water while you gently pull on the stick.
S TA F F S P O T L I G H T ELLEN HARTMAN
Ellen Hartman currently serves as a Physical Therapist Assistant for AccelerateTherapy&Performance.Ellen’spassion forphysical therapy started at a young age as I use to walk on my “tippy-toes” due to a mild caseofscoliosis,duringwhichaphysical therapistworkeddiligently to helpcorrecthergaitpatternandeducateEllenonways todecrease the progression of her conditon. After graduating from Guilford Technical Community College in December 2018, Ellen received her licensure and then began working at ATP in February 2019. Ellen finds her work asaPhysicalTherapistAssistantveryrewarding,asshe isable to “pay forward my daily blessings.”
CONGRATULATIONS! Congratulations Jesse Reynolds, PT DPT on completing her extra training on Pelvic Floor. Come see her for all of your Pelvic Floor needs!
Outside of ATP, Ellen also enjoys working in her vegetable and herb garden, deep sea fishing, hiking, and touring vineyards! Ellen will soon be changing her name to Mrs. Ellen Hamby in October upon marrying her fiancee and “high school sweat heart.” They also plan on purchasing a pet pig in the near future.
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