Burdensome Backpacks: Too Heavy to Bear?
By Janean Nusz
Is your child’s backpack too heavy? Is toting school supplies and books
going to cause your child problems, both now and in the future? Before
you let your child load up that backpack again, take a look at a few of
the recommended guidelines below. It may just save your child from a future
of chronic back pain!
• A child’s backpack should weigh no more than 5-10 percent of his or her
body weight. Any heavier, and the child will attempt to compensate for
the extra burden by bending forward. The heavier the load, the more need
there is to compensate. This ‘forward lean’ can cause severe lower back
pain.
• Backpacks with individual compartments are best. When positioning the
load in the backpack, compartments help to even out the weight distribution
inside the pack. Compartments also prevent objects from shifting around.
• Always recommend that your child use both shoulder straps when carrying
the backpack. Wearing the backpack slung over one shoulder increases the
risk of experiencing neck and muscle spasms and backaches. When both straps
are used, the weight is distributed evenly across the back, hips and shoulders,
reducing the risk of injury and back pain.
• Make sure that pointed or sharp objects are packed away from the area
that will rest on your child’s back.
• Pack the heaviest items closest to the child’s back.
• Purchase a backpack with wide padded shoulder straps and a waist belt
– and instruct your child to use the waist belt.
• Always adjust shoulder straps so that the backpack is resting snug against
your child’s back. Position the backpack so the load rides mainly on the
hips or pelvic area. Straps fitted too loosely can cause the load to dangle
and shift, and may cause spinal injuries or problems later in life.
• If possible, purchase a backpack on wheels. Or have your child tote their
pack to and from school on a luggage carrier.
• For children already experiencing back problems, parents should ask the
school to issue a second set of books, which can be kept at home.
Across the nation, instances of backpack related injury and chronic back
pain in children have increased. Are today’s children carrying more than
their share? It would seem so. This is due, in part, to the increased bulk
of today’s textbooks, but can also be attributed to the need to cart around
musical instruments, sports equipment, notebook computers, and a multitude
of other items needed in today’s schools.
In addition to triggering chronic back pain and spinal injury, backpacks
are also known to cause ‘rucksack palsy’. This disorder results from heavy
packs putting pressure on nerves in the shoulder and neck area. Symptoms
include numbness in the hands, muscle wasting, and - in severe cases -
nerve damage.
To reduce the risk of pain and injury to your child, follow the guidelines
mentioned above. And remember, exercise can also play a part in decreasing
your child’s risk. Children who are active also have a better chance of
avoiding back pain caused by carrying backpacks. Healthy activities such
as walking and riding a bicycle condition young muscles, making injury
and soreness less of a possibility.
Preveiously published online at Family Resouces (FamilyResources.com)
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