Scoliosis

 

Scoliosis is a spinal deformity that can worsen during childhood. It can become a serious problem later in life if not addressed during the growth period. Scoliosis is an issue of postural imbalance and instability. Therefore BackTpack®️, the balanced bag for scoliosis and healthy posture, is an important school bag alternative.

Importance of the growth period in correcting deformity

Scoliosis should be treated as early as possible during early adolescence. The curvature of the spine can often be corrected without surgery if detected and treated during the growth period. The term “Orthopaedic” literally means “straight child,” based on this crucial period of bone growth. This is when bone deformity can be corrected without surgery.

Accessible complement to treatment

Most treatments are costly and not always accessible.  BackTpack is a balanced bag for scoliosis treatment and general back health for all ages. BackTpack is available to anyone anywhere through our online store.  We recommend our most recent model, the BackTpack 3.1 Small, for adolescents with scoliosis.  It is available in magenta and in black.

You can use this balanced bag immediately to address postural imbalance.  BackTpack, with its balanced loading system and controlled spinal loading, will complement all other treatment. Treatments under direction of therapist or surgeon, may include scoliosis specific exercises, bracing, and surgery if needed.

Balanced Loading as a Daily Habit

It is essential to be diligent about good postural habits. Especially how the spine is loaded during the growth period. When carrying a load, the weight should be balanced. It should be applied as close to the vertical spinal axis as possible. BackTpack loads ON the vertical axis through its two-sided design.

Bad posture habits, including one-sided loaded postures and slumping, should be avoided.  The common backpack creates posture distortion and the off-axis load multiples the force on the spine.  BackTpack's axial-loading system trains and strengthens good posture throughout each day.

"I suffer from mild scoliosis, and years of wearing conventional backpacks and shoulder/tote bags continued to move my body in this ill direction. The BackTpack is groundbreaking because it doesn't cause alignment problems to worsen like an average bag would. It frees your shoulders, neck, and spine in a way no other bag can!" Ball State University Student, 2012

Exercises for Straightening the Spine and Improving Posture

Activities to strengthen the postural muscles are important. Standing activity is best, where the force of gravity is the body's gymnasium, training and strengthening good upright alignment. BackTpack is such a strengthening system.

There are several schools of Physiotherapeutic Scoliosis Specific Exercises (PSSE) throughout the world.  The objective of these programs are to correct the deformity, strengthen the postural muscles and teach awareness to maintain the correction throughout life.  These programs often work in conjunction with bracing regimens and surgery if needed. A good resource to learn more about such programs is through Scoliosis and Spine Online Learning or Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT)

If a brace is worn to correct the deformity, posture strengthening while in this corrected position is ideal.  School backpacks add off-axis, unbalanced loading which is not the type of strengthening that will complement the correction from the brace.  BackTpack with the brace will train and strengthen optimal alignment.

How BackTpack Complements PSSE in Daily Activity

BackTpack, with its dual side-bag system, provides axial- and balanced loading to strengthen posture by distributing the load to both sides of the body. As a school bag, this postural awareness and strengthening occurs throughout the day without extra time or thought. Other bags and conventional backpacks create distort posture because they are off-axis, one-sided systems. Therefore BackTpack is a healthy schoolbag alternative in collaboration with therapies to prevent and treat scoliosis.

Note: The hip-loading belt should be used to bypass the spine and apply the load to the hips in the following situations:

• If there is pain associated with spinal loading,

• If there is considerable deformity

• If your physician limits spinal loading

Consult your physician or therapist for specific instruction for your situation.

Summary of BackTpack's benefits for scoliosis and spinal health

 

Our "Student Testimonials" video includes comments from a student suffering from Scoliosis...

Mom's Comments on BackTpack for Kylie

"When my daughter Kylie was diagnosed with scoliosis, I had no idea that backpacks would become a problem. Obviously I knew that there are backpack “rules” that every kid should adhere to for back health, but I didn’t realize how scoliosis and bracing in an elementary-aged child would affect backpack use.

Very quickly we learned that a traditional backpack wouldn’t work; in her brace, my daughter was unable to swing her full backpack up onto her shoulders independently. The load of her backpack pulled in such a way that she was uncomfortable with it on her back while wearing a brace.

We decided to try a rolling backpack, but her PT was adamant that for proper back health, she needed to push the backpack instead of pulling to avoid any spinal rotation that would negatively affect her curve. That, combined with the amount of space that the rolling mechanism took up leaving her with less usable room, made for another imperfect option.

Enter the BackTpack! We tried it on a whim... the science made sense to me, but I honestly wasn’t sure that it would be the solution we were looking for. I was wrong! The BTP allowed my daughter to fit everything she needed in her ackpack... it gave her the independence to get her backpack on and off in her brace... and it has been such a benefit to her overall posture and backhealth, which is obviously massively important for a scoliosis patient!

Staff at her school frequently commenton the genius of the design and acknowledge that it makes sense for everyone, not just people with back problems. We have been so impressed with not only the product, but the dedication Marilyn has for her design and to the people using it. I have my own BTP now that I use for traveling! We are true believers in the science behind the BTP and the benefits it offers to everyone."