I'm young, why do I have back pain?
Now that they have reached youth, our children spend many hours sitting, well in class, well studying. The time to practice sports is less than what they used to do before. They go everywhere carrying a laptop and a pile of books and have long since abandoned the backpack. Are they shattering his back? Prevent the development of problems such as scoliosis is essential because if they harm your back, the solutions are complicated.
The Back pain It is more frequent than we think and you can try to prevent with some guidelines. The more our back suffers, the longer we stay in the same position, whether standing, sitting or lying down, and when we make great efforts or small, but very repetitive. To keep back problems at bay our young people should know that it is not good to make sudden movements or force inappropriate postures.
Every time there is a greater awareness on the part of parents, teachers and health authorities regarding the importance of educating in good postural habits to avoid vices and back injuries early. Many times it is difficult to get a healthy environment in the classrooms prevent back injuries: the school furniture and the guidelines on the weight of the backpacks is adapted to the average of the students according to age, but the stature and complexion is not the same for all.
The general recommendations are known, those that affect the most suitable postures, both when standing and when we walk, but we forget that we must also take care of our back when we crouch, we take weight, when sleeping and when we make some effort.
Rest periods for the back
Both in the classroom and at home it is convenient that our children intersperse the study with periods of rest and move from being seated to doing sports activities, enjoying recreation or other activities. In this way, they change their position almost without realizing it, which causes the back to suffer less.
A great backpackers are backpacks or book bags, although we can not forget the sports backpacks, which sometimes also weigh their own.
One trick to not overloading your back is to use wheel backpacks. The problem is that young people do not tend them because they are considered "young children". They are also good focused on the back, although you have to be careful not to hit the area of the kidneys. What you have to avoid at all costs are the backpacks or bags that are hung from a single shoulder that tend to be, however, preferred by young people.
The Furniture is a great ally to keep the boys' backs well. The correct thing is that it is adapted to the age and size of the user. It is recommended that the table reach the height of the lower part of the chest, so that you do not have to be leaning forward or lifting your arms excessively to write. The chair should allow you to be with your hips and knees bent at a 90 degree angle, your feet resting on the floor and your back straight with your lower back and lower back resting against the backrest.
Although it's hard to believe, the back can also suffer while sitting. To avoid this it is important to keep the back straight and aligned, distributing the weight, with the heels and the tips of the feet resting on the floor, the knees at right angles to the hips, and the feet can be crossed alternately. You should lean your back firmly against the back of the chair and, if necessary, use a cushion so that your lower back is not in the air. Sitting as far back as possible is not only an aesthetic recommendation, but by supporting the column against the backrest, the dorso-lumbar area is fundamentally supported and later complications can be avoided.
Basic guidelines to prevent back pain
If our children are going to be sitting at a study table, we have to make sure they are close to the chair. In this way we will avoid having to lean forward. As in school, it is also important that the size of the chair be appropriate to the height. It suits especially avoid low tables that force you to stay hunched. It is considered a suitable size if the table top arrives, once seated, at the level of the sternum.
With respect to the seats, we must avoid those that are very soft, those that do not have support and those that are too big or small and do not fit well with young people. Many times, in a hurry, our children sit on the edge of the seat; we must make them see that it is bad for their back, because they are without support and in the long run it may cause discomfort.
When you are going to use the computer you also have to take into account a series of recommendations. The screen must be at the height of the view so as not to tilt the neck and the keyboard and the The mouse should be able to be used with the relaxed arm and the forearm horizontally.
We must remind our teenagers to try to rest when they are in front of the computer studying, that although many times they want to finish their homework quickly, it is better to dedicate a few minutes to change their position and keep their back safe from the bad postures that can hurt them.
We must avoid that our children spend many hours watching television, and try to substitute them for sports or games. In this sense, it is good to stimulate physical exercise, but bearing in mind that it should not be done in an abusive manner. As far as possible, try not to practice activities or sports that cause discomfort and, if they appear, you should consult the doctor.
When we sleep: so we take care of our back
As during the day, back care also includes hours of sleep. Ideal postures are those that allow the entire column to be supported so that it does not deviate to the sides or flex or extend excessively. A good posture is the "fetal position", on the side, with the side supported, with the hips and knees bent and with the neck and head aligned with the rest of the spine. Sleeping on your back, with your knees bent and a pillow underneath is also a good option, although it is not very simple. On the contrary, it is not recommended to sleep on your stomach, since the curvature of the lumbar spine is usually modified and forces the neck to be forcedly rotated.
In addition to monitoring the postures when sleeping, we also have to pay attention to the mattress and the mattress, which must be firm and straight, neither too hard nor too soft so that they can adapt to the curves of the spine. Keep in mind that the hardness of the mattress should be proportional to the weight of the person and that what may be good for us, is not for our children.
Drs. Javier Ortega and Rafael González. Column Surgery Unit of the Hospital Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Madrid
