During childhood, many children suffer from musculoskeletal problems. As children’s bones are growing, they are very susceptible to traumatic injuries, especially in the growing areas. The most serious injuries are fractures, especially of the wrist and elbow. In the case of the newborn, hip dislocation must be ruled out, and during growth, problems of abnormal angulation and rotation of the lower extremities. In the older child we find hip problems and in adolescent girls, back problems such as scoliosis. In addition, overweight can promote angular deviations of the lower extremities and cause pain in sensitive growth areas of the heels and knees. Low weight related to anorexia and low calcium intake leads to loss of bone mineral mass and, as a consequence, increased risk of fractures.
What should the backpack be like?
The excessive weight of backpacks can favor the appearance of back pain. For this reason, it is recommended to carry backpacks with the lowest possible weight (less than 10% of body weight), with wide, padded straps, hanging on both shoulders, close to the body and neither too high nor too low. Trolleys can be an alternative for not bearing so much weight load on the spine, but they have other disadvantages: they are more uncomfortable when going up or down stairs, produce an asymmetrical traction load on the trunk and, in general, are not so well accepted.
Good treatment is essential
In order for these problems not to affect the child’s growth, they must be treated appropriately: an injury to the growth zone can cause the bone not to grow or to grow with progressive deviation. Therefore, in the case of fractures, careful alignment and containment of the injured area is essential, even if this requires surgical intervention.