IS YOUR CHILD CARRYING A PAINFUL PROBLEM?

By Dr. Susan G. Burger

Scientific research reveals an alarming danger associated with improper childhood backpack use. By the end of their teen years, close to 60% of youths experience at least one low back pain episode. New research indicates that this may be due, at least in part, to improper use of backpacks on young spines.

Watch children in any schoolyard struggle to walk while bent sideways under the weight of an overloaded backpack on one shoulder. You’ll quickly realize the potential danger of this commonplace item.

How exactly does carrying a backpack affect the spine? Common sense tells us that a load, distributed improperly or unevenly, day after day, is indeed going to cause stress to a growing spinal column. The old adage, “as the twig is bent so grow the tree” comes to mind.

Ideally, the weight of a child’s backpack should be no more than 15% of their body weight. Let’s do some “heavy” math. If the average child’s backpack weighs 12 lbs and they lift it 10 times per day, that is 120 lbs per day. Times that by 180 days per school year and your child has lifted 21,600 lbs in one school year. That’s nearly 11 tons or the equivalent of 6 full size automobiles!

What can you do? Encourage your child to follow these steps:

  1. Help him/her choose the correct size backpack. There are several companies who make backpacks that distribute weight more evenly and have well-padded straps. (If you have trouble finding one feel free to call our office for further info.)
  2. Pack it right. The maximum weight of the loaded backpack should not exceed 15% of the child’s body weight, so pack only what is needed. Tip: If the backpack forces the wearer to bend forward to carry - it’s overloaded.
  3. Lift it right. Face the pack, bend at the knees, use both hands and check the weight of the pack. Lift with the legs; apply one shoulder strap then the other. Tip: don’t sling the backpack onto one shoulder.
  4. Wear it right. Use both shoulder straps – snug, but not too tight. Tip: When the backpack has a waist strap, use it.

For further information please call our office and ask for our “Back-to-School” packet, which includes info on Posture, Scoliosis, Backpack Safety, and Packing Healthy Lunches in Minutes.

Susan G. Burger can be reached at (215) 736-3803 or peacedoc@earthlink.net.

Riverside Chiropractic & Vitality Center
300 W. Trenton Ave. Morrisville, PA 19067