Maia Gonçalves, orthopedist and spine pathology specialist at Hospital da Luz Arrábida and Hospital da Luz Póvoa de Varzim , was the guest of the Consultório program, in Porto Canal , on September 16. The theme was the excessive weight of school bags and how that reflects in bad posture , the main cause of back pain in children. “Backpacks with books and school materials should not exceed 10% of the child’s body weight, and light and adjustable material is recommended”, says the specialist. Recent studies show, moreover, that the prevalence of lower back pain in children is increasing and that is due to inadequate postures, obesity and sedentariness. A member of the Olhe pelas Suas Costas (Watch Your Back) campaign, launched by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Patologia da Coluna Vertebral (Portuguese Society of Spine Pathology), Maia Gonçalves explains that this initiative “aims to sensitize the people to the issue of back pain, alert to the consequences and educate on its prevention and treatment”. However successful the advances in the treatment of spine pathologies may be, it’s in prevention that the focus must lie . Maia Gonçalves at Porto Canal channel
