Back to school: shoes and backpacks
What to look for in school shoes
We are amongst those parents who have children returning to school after school holidays. Some things on our list are: have I got the right clothing for the season? has everything got a name tag? including socks! are the shoes still fitting my child and is the backpack still ok?
When it comes to musculoskeletal conditions and children we automatically think feet and backs and as parents how we can help enable children to engage in activity, play and sport comfortably and confidently.
Shoes
Correct shoe wear is an important consideration for anyone young or old. In the elderly, foot pain and shoe type is directly correlated with an increase in falls risk, while in children it can have an impact on regular aches and pains. A well fitting shoe should have:
good high calcaneal (heel) support
good torsional stability to avoid rolling the ankle (twist the shoe and see if it moves)
flexibility in the right places, if it can be bent on itself at the middle part of the foot it can cause overload
high laces or support through the anterior ankle
and of course a good fit to avoid blistering - too much space in a shoe can be just as bad as not enough space
Backpacks
4 out of 10 Australian school aged children will be affected by low back pain at any moment in time (APA, . Of that cohort it has been stipulated that 30-50% of these children will have persistent back pain which will last longer than 3 months. I have written about low back pain in dancers and also the adolescent in previous blog posts, and the message being that any persistent low back pain in a child should be assessed by a physiotherapist or paediatric physiotherapist. In addition should your child experience night pain or waking pain, weight loss, fever with back pain, morning stiffness or back pain that is stopping them from engaging in everyday activities, they should be examined. A physiotherapist is highly trained in assessing and managing injuries in the young patient and we have many evidence based tools at our disposal to help.
Recent studies have shown that there is no direct correlation between heavy backpacks and back pain in school aged children. Don’t believe me? I’ve listed some resources for your benefit (Frosch et al, 2022; Calvo‐Muñoz et al, 2020; Tiê Parma Yamato et al, 2018) . However, we still need to consider that a poorly fitting or heavy backpack can impact on perception of pain. Here are some guidelines for backpacks:
a snug fit (at the lower back and the backpack shouldn’t lift above the shoulders) with plenty of padding to reduce impact on joints
wide straps to evenly distribute load over the shoulders
utilise waist and chest straps to further distribute load over the shoulders and pelvis
consider the size of the bag and where it sits in relation to the pelvis, shoulders and lower back
don’t buy a backpack that is too big for them to grow into
So a few tips and tools to help you negotiate the minefield that is being a parent. If you have any questions regarding this post or if you would like us to assess your child, you can book online with us or contact us at your leisure.
Sam and Andy