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Category: Physio

Motion Plus PhysiotherapyBlogPhysio
By Denise Fogal-Smith Physio

Is Your Backpack Ideal For Your Back?

With the start of the new school year, parents and children will be settling into their back to school routines. An essential and consistent morning ritual is packing the backpack. Whether parents are packing for younger children or upper grade students are preparing their own backpacks, there are some important tips for backpack selection, packing and fit that will help to minimize neck, shoulder and back strain. These recommendations are supported by organizations such as the American Pediatric Society, the Canada Safety Council and the National Safety Council (USA).

When Choosing a Backpack….

  • Think about the size – keep in mind that the bigger the backpack, the more that can be packed in! This could result in a backpack that is too heavy for your child.
  • Think about the padding – padded back and shoulder straps will result in a more comfortable fit. Wider and padded straps will help to distribute weight across the shoulders. A padded back can provide protection from sharp objects or edges.
  • Think about the straps – in addition to wide and padded shoulder straps, a waist belt and chest strap can help to distribute the weight of the backpack across the chest and lower body.
  • Consider the compartments available – having several compartments within a backpack can help to distribute the contents more evenly.

When Packing a Backpack…

  • The heaviest items should sit closest to the low back.
  • Pack other items evenly around the heaviest ones. Try to ensure that things don’t slide around excessively.
  • Make use of the available compartments to distribute the weight equally.
  • Pack smart! Only carry what is necessary.

When Wearing a Backpack….

  • Use both shoulder straps when wearing a backpack. Avoid carrying the backpack over one shoulder as this can cause uneven posture and walking patterns and excessively strains the neck, shoulder and back in an asymmetrical manner.
  • Adjust the shoulder straps so that the top of the backpack rests 1-2 inches below the shoulders and the bottom rests in the curve of the low back. The backpack should never hang more than 4 inches below the waist (belly button level).
  • Where possible, make use of the chest and pelvic strap to help keep it close to your child’s body and distribute the load.

Final thoughts for parents, students and caregivers….

We hope these tips help you to establish good backpack habits for the rest of the school year. Be sure to:

  • Pick up the backpack intermittently and check the weight! The total weight of the backpack should not exceed 10-15% of your child’s body weight! If your child must lean forward to carry the backpack, it is too heavy!
  • Watch for complaints of tingling in the arms, neck, shoulder or back pain. These may be signs that your child’s backpack may be contributing to an injury.
  • Make your kids part of the process – teach them how to make a proper backpack purchase and how to use their backpack properly.

Resources:

American Pediatric Society

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Backpack-Safety.aspx

Canada Safety Council

https://canadasafetycouncil.org/dont-let-your-education-weigh-you-down

National Safety Council (USA)

https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/child-safety/backpack-safety-for-kids?srsltid=AfmBOorqdhdhfGvI5RihiGFHaij_aYLJPGn4ankBlpXKjBgAkjK2AZjj
By John Horlings Exercises, Physio

Is It True That Exercise Promotes Both Muscle And Brain Health?

My name is Julia Shannon, and I recently completed my Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph. This past winter semester, I had the privilege of completing an internship at Motion Plus Physiotherapy. As part of my intern role, I performed an in-depth review of the scientific literature studying how exercise impacts strength and cognition. Below is a brief summary of my findings from this research process.

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By Kim Aranas Exercises, Physio

I Hurt My Back, Should I Stay In Bed?

Have you ever woken up with a “twinge” in your back? Ever moved the wrong way and felt your back tighten up? Well, you are not alone. Low back pain is a common experience that occurs at least once in 70% of the population’s lifetime (McIntosh and Hall, 2009). Episodes of low back pain can be described as intense pain, muscle tension and stiffness around the area. In certain cases, symptoms can include pain down one leg.

Bed rest may appear to be the best solution with acute low back pain, but according to research staying active can be more beneficial. A systematic review by McIntosh and Hall (2009) found that compared to bed rest, staying active was more effective in reducing pain and improving function in 3-12 weeks. The authors also noted that increased bed rest can result in increased negative effects such as joint stiffness and loss of muscle strength. The use of anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants, advice to stay active and exercise all resulted in better outcomes than rest alone. It is important to note, however, the potential adverse effects which can occur, such as gastro-intestinal problems from NSAIDs and drowsiness, dizziness and nausea from muscle relaxants (McIntosh and Hall, 2009).

So, what kind of activity should you do if you wake up with low back pain or move the wrong way? It depends on the person as everyone will present in various ways and have different limitations. Your Physiotherapist can assess your situation, educate you on how to best stay active and prescribe specific low back exercises that can allow you to reach your goals.

Our blog is based on the article below:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3217769/pdf/2011-1102.pdf
By John Horlings Exercises, Physio, Therapy

My knee is noisy when I bend it, is it safe to move?

Have you ever experienced knee joint noises that make you wonder if your tissues are rubbing or grinding against each other while going up or down the stairs, squatting or kneeling? Have you wondered what that means or if it is damaging? This noise or feeling is called crepitus which can be caused by nitrogen gas bubbles popping, tendons sliding over bony structures or one bone rubbing on another. Generally, crepitus is not painful and does not necessarily mean that you have arthritis.

A paper by de Oliveira Silva et al., (2018) studied 126 women aged 18-35 years. Some had patellar (kneecap) pain (n=65) and some had no pain (n=51). The study found that 50% of those with patellar pain had crepitus while 33% with no knee pain also had crepitus. Pazzinatto et al., (2019) looked at 584 men and women aged 45-78 years with knee arthritis and crepitus (n=361) and with knee arthritis without crepitus (n=233). Their aim was to assess if crepitus negatively affected people’s perception of their knee health and overall function. They concluded people with both knee pain and crepitus reported higher levels of pain and lower quality of life but functionally performed equally to those with no crepitus. In a separate study, Pazzinatto et al., (2019) studied 4566 participants aged 45-79 years who presented with arthritis with and without crepitus. At the 3 year follow up, the authors found those with arthritis and crepitus were at no greater risk for a total knee replacement than those with arthritis alone.

What does all this mean?

We can conclude that the crepitus in your knee can be a normal phenomenon regardless of age, does not indicate the severity of knee arthritis and may be present without pain. If you have crepitus in your knee with no pain, you can continue to be active regardless of the presence of arthritis. We know keeping active is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy knee. If you have pain in your knee(s) with or without crepitus, it would be a good idea to seek out a Physiotherapist to help reduce your pain and maximize your function.

The articles mentioned above can be found using the following links:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1466853X18302475?via%3Dihub

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30471964/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S141335551830248X