Hi, I'm looking for a school bag for my kid for primary one. I know it's still October and I'm one big kiasu but better be early than be sorry later with the mad rush. Any recommendation for ergonomic school bags? Some of the bags I've seen are just a complete joke but others are looking quite good on my list. I will write a detailed post on this at the end.
Ergonomic School Bags for Primary One
- Thread starter jackygogo
- Start date
You can go to Scool Ergonomics in Marina Square. They have 2 other shops - Jem & Parkway Parade. Their collection of school bags is quite wide SCOOL Singapore - Ergonomic School Bags for Children and Teenagers
Ergokid in Wheelock Place is having a 10% discount promo on school bags for the December month.
Last edited:
johnwong80
New Member
I recommend Ergobag. It's German and comes with three years warranty. You can find them both in Scool and Ergokid.
BANGALORE: More and more school children are landing up in hospital with serious back problems, and doctors say heavy school bags are causing severe damage to young spines. A child can carry about 10 per cent of its body weight: a child weighing 20 kg can carry a bag of 2 kg. But, as Dr Manohar Babu K V, consultant paediatric-orthopaedics, Apollo Hospitals, observes, “Most children carry at least 8 kg to school.”
This can cause the architecture of the spine to change, and alter the gait. He adds, “Children tilt forward when they walk to be able to support the enormous weight. Because of this, the spine loses its original shape and becomes increasingly curved. This curvature is called kyphosis.”
The number of children suffering from school bag-related illnesses is on the rise. Over the past year, he has seen the severity rising. He receives at least seven cases every month, and these are advanced cases, after the parents have consulted general physicians or paediatricians. In their formative years, when children should be studying and playing, an increasing number are visiting orthopaedic departments with pain and deformities.
Dr Deepak Sharan, consultant in orthopaedics, rehabilitation and ergonomics, Recoup Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Centre, explains, “We have treated more than 100 children who had to stop going to school and 1,000 adults with backpack injuries who had to stop going to office because of debilitating pain. They had to undergo intensive physical therapy for several days or weeks. The milder cases usually go unreported or undiagnosed.”
Manjula’s (name changed) son is 10 years old and attends a school in Kammanahalli. Earlier, he was active and played cricket every week with the neighbourhood children. “But now he complains of perennial backaches and doesn’t play,” she told City Express. “He carries 15 books to school every day, along with his lunch box and water bottle.”
A child’s spine is highly vulnerable and is fully developed only when it is 15 to 18 years old. The enormous physiological strain can give rise to other problems, such as lower and upper backaches, neck pain, shoulder stiffness and other musculoskeletal problems, besides tiredness, muscle fatigue and swelling.
An area of concern is scoliosis, especially if a child carries the weight on one shoulder. Dr Sivakumar, physiotherapist, Portea Medical, says, “The lopsided distribution of the weight causes muscle imbalance. Because of this, the spine curves and the child develops a curvature in the lumbar region, just above the gluteal region.”
Dr Prakash Vemgal, paediatrician at Fortis Hospitals, says carrying heavy weights can also impair the children's growth potential. “Children reach puberty when they are 11 or 12 years old. Four to five years before they attain puberty is the most crucial period. If they carry heavy backpacks, their growth can get stunted,” he told City Express.
Some children even run the risk of fractures, warns Dr Manohar.
“Recently, I met a child whose spine was fractured when he was on his way to school. In the school bus, he had hung his bag over his shoulders and when the reckless driver applied brakes, it caused the child to shift in his seat and damage his spine.”
He has seen such fractures in many other young patients who walk to school or travel on motorbikes with their parents. The shoulders can also swell and become sore, if a backpack is worn for prolonged periods.
If not treated at an early stage, doctors warn, children can develop chronic musculoskeletal ailments as they grow older. “As they enter adolescence, they already show wear and tear of the bones, disc disorders and chronic back pains,” observes Dr Satish, neurosurgeon, Fortis Hospitals.
Corrective Measures
Children who develop these problems need physiotherapy, medication, and sometimes even surgery.Says Dr Sivakumar, “With physiotherapy techniques, we can improve the core muscles in the spinal and gluteal region, and correct the posture. Once the pain subsides, the therapeutic treatment can gradually be reduced.”
This can cause the architecture of the spine to change, and alter the gait. He adds, “Children tilt forward when they walk to be able to support the enormous weight. Because of this, the spine loses its original shape and becomes increasingly curved. This curvature is called kyphosis.”
The number of children suffering from school bag-related illnesses is on the rise. Over the past year, he has seen the severity rising. He receives at least seven cases every month, and these are advanced cases, after the parents have consulted general physicians or paediatricians. In their formative years, when children should be studying and playing, an increasing number are visiting orthopaedic departments with pain and deformities.
Dr Deepak Sharan, consultant in orthopaedics, rehabilitation and ergonomics, Recoup Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Centre, explains, “We have treated more than 100 children who had to stop going to school and 1,000 adults with backpack injuries who had to stop going to office because of debilitating pain. They had to undergo intensive physical therapy for several days or weeks. The milder cases usually go unreported or undiagnosed.”
Manjula’s (name changed) son is 10 years old and attends a school in Kammanahalli. Earlier, he was active and played cricket every week with the neighbourhood children. “But now he complains of perennial backaches and doesn’t play,” she told City Express. “He carries 15 books to school every day, along with his lunch box and water bottle.”
A child’s spine is highly vulnerable and is fully developed only when it is 15 to 18 years old. The enormous physiological strain can give rise to other problems, such as lower and upper backaches, neck pain, shoulder stiffness and other musculoskeletal problems, besides tiredness, muscle fatigue and swelling.
An area of concern is scoliosis, especially if a child carries the weight on one shoulder. Dr Sivakumar, physiotherapist, Portea Medical, says, “The lopsided distribution of the weight causes muscle imbalance. Because of this, the spine curves and the child develops a curvature in the lumbar region, just above the gluteal region.”
Dr Prakash Vemgal, paediatrician at Fortis Hospitals, says carrying heavy weights can also impair the children's growth potential. “Children reach puberty when they are 11 or 12 years old. Four to five years before they attain puberty is the most crucial period. If they carry heavy backpacks, their growth can get stunted,” he told City Express.
Some children even run the risk of fractures, warns Dr Manohar.
“Recently, I met a child whose spine was fractured when he was on his way to school. In the school bus, he had hung his bag over his shoulders and when the reckless driver applied brakes, it caused the child to shift in his seat and damage his spine.”
He has seen such fractures in many other young patients who walk to school or travel on motorbikes with their parents. The shoulders can also swell and become sore, if a backpack is worn for prolonged periods.
If not treated at an early stage, doctors warn, children can develop chronic musculoskeletal ailments as they grow older. “As they enter adolescence, they already show wear and tear of the bones, disc disorders and chronic back pains,” observes Dr Satish, neurosurgeon, Fortis Hospitals.
Corrective Measures
Children who develop these problems need physiotherapy, medication, and sometimes even surgery.Says Dr Sivakumar, “With physiotherapy techniques, we can improve the core muscles in the spinal and gluteal region, and correct the posture. Once the pain subsides, the therapeutic treatment can gradually be reduced.”