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Backpack Information
“In 1999, the use of backpacks resulted in more than 6,000 injuries in the U.S. alone. Approximately 23% of elementary school youths and about 33% of secondary school youths complain of backaches.” (“Ergonomics and Youths”, OT Practice, May 27, 2002) Some students attending ASMS have had to visit a chiropractor because of their back pain. What can parents and students do to relieve or prevent these problems? The American Occupational Therapy Association offers these tips to help avoid backpack-related health problems: (I have added my comments)
- Never let a child carry more that 15% of his or her body weight. This means a child who weighs 100 pounds shouldn’t wear a backpack heavier than 15 pounds.
- Check what your child carries to school and brings home to make sure the items are really necessary to the day’s activities. (After study hall, before they go home, students can store books which they don’t need in the evening, in the locker room.)
- Choose the right size pack for your child’s back as well as one with enough room for necessary school items.
- Choose backpacks with several compartments for better weight distribution. Load heaviest items closest to the child’s back and arrange books and materials to prevent them from sliding.
- Select a pack with wide, well-padded, adjustable shoulder straps. Too much pressure on shoulders and necks can cause pain and tingling.
- Always wear both shoulder straps. Wearing only one strap can cause a child to lean to one side, curving the spine and causing pain and discomfort.
- Adjust the shoulder straps so that the pack fits snugly to the child’s back. The bottom of the pack should rest in the curve of the lower back, never more than four inches below the child’s waistline.
- Use the waist belt, if the backpack has one, to help distribute the pack’s weight more evenly. (A belt distributes some of the weight from the shoulders to the hips.) (Backpacks on wheels are easy to pull, but more heavy to carry, and difficult to fit into the lockers. As students in general have to carry their backpacks more than they have the opportunity to pull them, backpacks on wheels are not a good alternative option.)
Caren Listopadzki, OTR/L
Mother of an ASMS student
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