Back pain is costly, both in the expense of medical care and loss of time from work or school. This is true in the United States and around the world. It’s only natural to start looking at these children and wondering how to protect them from this problem.
Researchers want to know whether a back education program for children makes a difference. One research group reported that back education programs alarm children. Another group showed improvement in sitting and lifting postures used by children after only three lessons. Two studies found no effect of short back-education classes on lifting. Even with all this information, no one really knows if early back education makes any difference.
There may be good reasons for the limited success of these back education programs. Some programs only covered one or two aspects of back care. Sometimes the follow-up studies were too short (less than three weeks). Studies that lasted longer tended to find wider use of the information and fewer cases of low back pain.
In Belgium, a health insurance company sponsored a back education program for fourth and fifth-grade children. The program was based on the German Back School and articles or books on how the back works. The goal was to teach children good body posture and proper use of the back during various tasks. Each child received six 60-minute sessions with a physical therapist.
Each child was observed through a candid camera before the back education classes. This was repeated one week, three months, and one year after the classes. Children were filmed sitting in class while using a ring binder. They were also filmed taking off their shoes, lifting and putting down a heavy object, throwing small objects, and picking up a small object from the floor.
One year later, some of the children were still using healthy postures and lifting habits. Also, the rate of neck and back pain was much less on a week-by-week basis after the back education program.
Elementary schoolchildren can benefit from a program of back care tips. Learning how to hold books, lift properly, sit with good posture, and carry a backpack does result in fewer cases of neck and back pain. This effect lasts at least a year–maybe more.