For many children, heading off to school means carrying a bag full of books. They often carry heavy bags despite the availability of time tables which are supposed to guide them pack for the day.Many children however do not know that the weight of their bags and how they hold it can affect their spines. Maureen Kyere, a pupil at Christ the King said she feels back pain when she carries a heavy bag but she does not know of the major health implications associated with it.However, Dr. Grisel Industrioso from the Chiropractic and Wellness Center has confirmed that children could hurt their spine when they wear heavy bags and hold them in a wrong way. “Children usually carry their heavy bags on one shoulder. This tilts the spine to one side creating a curvature which leads to a lot of health issues like chronic headaches. When this happens, the children are not able to concentrate in school and get a social life” She further emphasized that a misalignment in the spine can lead to arthritis later in life. She also indicated that majority of children she had seen at the center had scoliosis, which is a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. Dr. Industrioso also recommended that “if children are going to carry a heavy bag, they should strap it on both shoulders to keep it centered”. She told Joy News, if the bag is too heavy, they should remove some of the books and carry them in their hands Increasingly though, many children now wheel their bags along, preferring not to strain themselves with the weight of a heavy bag.Some parents are also quite particular about the type of bag their children use. Some who spoke to Joy News on Multi TV, indicated that they bought dragging bags for their children because their books were too heavy to be carried on their backs. Dr. Industrioso also said, children who have already developed spinal injuries could seek chiropractic care to fix it.