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Lifting Hazards
Backpacks Contribute To Back Injuries Among Children
Backpacks are a popular and practical way for children and teenagers to carry school books and supplies. They are designed to distribute the weight of the load among some of the body’s strongest muscles. When used correctly, backpacks can be a useful tool.
The month of April has been named National Backpack Safety Month. This month-long awareness event is designed to help educate parents and children about the potential dangers of heavy backpacks used by children and the solutions to this growing problem.
Studies indicate that young children are suffering from back pain much earlier than previous generations, and the use of weighty backpacks is a contributing factor. Backpacks can strain muscles and joints causing back pain if they are too heavy or worn improperly. Heavy backpacks can also increase the risk of falling.
These facts attribute to the growing number of children that experience back pain by the time they reach 18 years of age.
To help understand how heavy backpacks can affect your child’s body, it helps to understand how the back works. Your child’s spine is made of 33 bones called vertebrae, and between the vertebrae are discs that act as natural shock absorbers. When a heavy weight is incorrectly placed on your child’s shoulders, the weight’s force can pull your child backwards. To compensate, your child may bend forward at the hips or arch their back, which can cause your child’s spine to compress unnaturally. Because of the heavy weight, your child might begin to develop mild to severe shoulder, neck and back pain.
Most doctors and physical therapists recommend that kids carry no more than 10% - 15% of their body weight in their backpacks. However, studies show
that over half of the student population carry more than this recommendation (close to 17% of their body weight on average) (Simmons College, April 2001).
For example, a child weighing 50 lbs should carry no more than 7.5 lbs in their backpack and likewise, a child weighing 130 lbs should carry no more than 19.5 lbs. Many children and teens are carrying up to 40 lbs. and are potentially injuring
themselves permanently.Girls and younger children may be especially at risk for backpack related injuries because they tend to be smaller and may carry loads that are heavier in proportion to their body weight.
You may need to adjust your child’s backpack and/or reduce how much your child is carrying if they:
- struggle to get the backpack on/off
- have back pain
- lean forward to carry the backpack
Choosing the right backpack?
When choosing a backpack, look for some of the following features:
- wide, padded shoulder straps
- two shoulder straps
- padded back
- waist strap
- lightweight backpack
- rolling backpack
To prevent injuries when using a backpack, consider the following:
- distribute the weight properly
- always use both shoulder straps and tighten them
- choose a backpack with thickly padded shoulder straps
- choose a backpack with lumbar support
- carry only what you need
- lift the backpack properly
Parents can also help by encouraging their children to carry only the books that are necessary and to use their lockers or desks more frequently during the day.
Parents should also talk to their children about how much weight is enough weight to carry for their physical size. But most importantly, parents should never ignore any back pain that their child may complain about.Information for this article was obtained from American Academy of Orthopedic
Surgeons, Ontario Chiropractic Association, KidsHealth for Parents, and various
on-line resources such as Backpack Safety America (www.backpacksafety.com,
www.backpacksafe.com), www.rtmsd.org and www.canadianparents.com
© 2007 Country Kids Safety Network