Scoliosis and low back pain has been called a 21st century enigma which continues to cause disability and distress in a large proportion of the children population. Within the last decade, it has been recognised that adolescents increasingly report back discomfort or even deformity. Over the years, many factors have been implicated in the cause(s) of adolescent back pain/discomfort, which includes growth spurts during puberty, mechanical factors (carrying heavy/awkwardly shaped bags, poorly designed furniture etc), and psychosocial factors.

Our children spend most of their waking hours in school and one of the major contributing, though not the single factor would be school bags. Children between the ages of 6 and 14 are typically in their formative ages. At this stage of their lives, the body’s vital organs are not fully developed and are therefore more vulnerable to injury. The spine is one important part of a child’s body that should be protected from injury and stress, because the spine is connected to peripheral nerves which run across and affects the entire body system.

The heavy book load that children are subjected to can lead to physical stress and poor posture which may result in spinal conditions. It is therefore vital that this weight factor be effectively managed with the appropriate tools so that any negative health impact/consequence arising from prolonged carrying of heavy schoolbags can be either prevented or minimized.

Short term consequences such as muscle strains and pains, neck and shoulders aches, tension headaches, lower back pain, fatigue are common symptoms of poor bag designs or carrying posture. Other consequences such as improper skeletal and muscle development, nerve entrapment syndrome, poor blood circulation and degeneration of spinal column lay occur as long term consequences.

IMPACT ergonomic school bags are designed for children’s comfort and posture. Helping them achieve greater potential in their education and health.

 

 

 

Office Ergonomics

Office-related injuries which result from prolong seating hours are increasing tremendously. The prevalence of PC’s result in growing number of complaints regarding pain or problem on eyes, neck, shoulders, and wrists, as well as back area.

In the future, chair design will focus not only on appearences but also on ergonomics features, in order to provide firm and comfortable support for many different postures for work, rest and other activities, with minimal pressure and weight load on the body.

Choosing conventional chair based on price and appearance may result in injuiries on the spine and hips, as shown in the diagram below.

If the amount of pressure on your back is 100% when standing, it is no lighter when sitting. The weight load on the upper body, especially on the back is 1.5 times compare to when standing, and 6 times compared to when lying down.

Improper sitting posture can cause chronic back pain or spinal problems when prolonged.

To prevent this, it is ideal to keep your spine in an S-like posture, and sit deep inside chair seats.