Starfish Therapies
Starfish Therapies Newsletter
Get Moving in March!
March 2013
Volume 51
In This Issue
Updates
Just For Fun
Backpack research
Spread the Word
Starfish Updates
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Blog:
Stacy with your ideas.     
  

Happy Easter
(had to include both of the Holiday Starfish for this month!)

Presentations:
We are excited to announce that Stacy will be presenting our research paper to physical therapists in the Davis area.  The topic will be the use of strengthening for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.  If you have any interest in learning more about the topic let us know and we can bring the topic closer to you!

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Just For Fun
 
St. Patrick's Day: 
I love these Handprint Art ideas for St. Patrick's Day as well as these tissue paper clovers
Here is a learning activity that promotes St Patrick's Day Magic.
Here is our pinterest page with links to lots of St. Patrick's Day ideas and activities.

Easter:
Here is our pinterest page for Easter ideas and activities.

What are your favorite St. Patrick's Day or Easter activities? Please share with us!

Greetings!

Welcome back! Enjoy reading this month for some helpful information about backpacks and to get up to date with Starfish Therapies.

Is Your Child's Backpack Too Heavy?  

 

backpack

As the weather begins to change and children begin walking to school again, we wanted to take a look at an article that was recently published in the pediatric physical therapy journal. The study looked at the effects of carrying a backpack with a load of up to 20% of a child's body weight on their posture and subjective complaints of pain.

 

The study examined the effects of carrying a backpack containing a load equivalent to 10%, 15% or 20% of a child's body weight in children between the ages of 8 and 11 years. Children's posture, including how far forward their head was positioned, how tilted forward their pelvis was, and how far forward they learned at their trunk was measured. These postural changes have previously been observed in children wearing backpacks as a way to maintain an upright posture and counter-act the weight of the load on their back. Their pain level after walking for 6 minutes with the loaded backpack was also recorded.

 

The researchers in this study found significant changes in children's posture were observed when wearing backpacks with loads of 10%, 15% and 20% of their body weight. Upon initially placing the backpack on, children demonstrated an increase in forward head posturing, an increase in forward trunk lean and an increased tilt of their pelvis forwards. These postural changes were further increased after walking for 6 minutes. Increased pain in the neck and shoulders was also reported.

 

Based on the results of this study, researchers recommended limiting the weight of a child's backpack to less than 10% of the child's weight, to help limit the postural compensations and complaints of pain. The postural changes noted, including a forward head, forward trunk and increased pelvic tilt, can be linked to increased spinal forces, tension and fatigue.

 

It is important to note that this study was completed with healthy school-aged children, and that children with special needs were excluded from the study. As a result, caution should be used when generalizing these results to children with movement difficulties. Based on a child's presentation and ambulation skills, a backpack may not be the best choice.

 

Take Home Message: It is important to monitor the weight of you child's backpack to ensure that they are not carrying too heavy of a load. Increased backpack weights have shown to cause postural changes in the head, trunk and pelvis, which put increased forces and tension through the spine. Researchers recommend limiting the load to less than 10% of a child's body weight. If your child has complained of pain while carrying his/her backpack or if postural changes are noted, it may be beneficial to lighten their load!

 

Kistner F, Fiebert I, Roach K, Moore J. Postural compensations and subjective complaints due to backpack loads and wear time in schoolchildren. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2013;25(1): 15-24.

Spread the Word to End the Word

  

The first Wednesday of March marked the annual day of awareness for the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign, a youth-driven movement supported by the Special Olympics and Best Buddies International. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness amongst society regarding the hurtful effects of the word "retard(ed)" when used in a derogatory or hurtful way. The campaign was created by youth with and without intellectual disabilities who participated in the Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. Various events took place throughout the United States, encouraging individuals to pledge to stop saying the R-word, in hopes of creating more accepting attitudes and encouraging individuals to use people-first language.  

 

As a company of therapists who work with children with various disabilities, both physical and intellectual, it's great to see a campaign that focuses on dispelling the negative attitudes and beliefs regarding individuals with disabilities, and instead focusing on their gifts and accomplishments. For more information on the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign, visit this website.

 

Thank you for reading this month. Enjoy the start of Spring and we will see you next month! 
 
Sincerely,
 

Your Friends at
Starfish Therapies