The school year is already under way, and most students aren't just loaded down with tough classes and extracurricular activities. It may seem harmless, but your child's backpack can have negative health effects if overloaded or carried improperly.
September 15 marks National School Backpack Awareness Day, which is the perfect time to check your child's pack.
Risks
An overweight backpack causes the body to compensate for the extra weight. If your child leans forward to compensate, it reduces his or her balance making it easier to fall. The extra weight distorts the natural curve of the middle and lower back, causing muscle strain.
If your child experiences any of these warning signs, he or she may need to reduce backpack weight:
- Headaches
- Neck aches
- Achy strained muscles
- Lower back pain
- Muscle spasms
- Tingling hands
Proper Weight
To find out if a pack is too heavy, put the backpack on the scale and see how much weight your child is carrying back and forth each day.
While there is no definite scientific information to support these guidelines, Stuart Weinstein, MD, UI Health Care orthopaedic specialist, suggests that children carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their weight in a backpack, for example:
- 50-pound children should carry no more than seven to eight pounds.
- 80-pound children should carry no more than 12 pounds.
- 100-pound children should carry no more than 15 pounds.
- 130-pound children should carry no more than 20 pounds.
The Right Fit
Buying the right pack is an important first step for your child. The standard two-strap pack is good for light loads. For heavier loads, get one with a hip or waist belt. This takes some of the weight off the shoulders and distributes it to the hips.
There are several new kinds of backpacks out there. They feature wide padded straps, padded waist belts, a molded plastic panel inside the pack to support the spine and even internal shelving to help properly distribute weight.
Backpack Tips
- Distribute the weight evenly. Put heavier items on the bottom to help keep the weight off the shoulders.
- Use both shoulder straps. Habitually carrying a load over one shoulder strains muscles, and the spine overcompensates to the opposite side and stresses back muscles.
- Use a backpack with padded or air-filled straps to help prevent the straps from digging into your shoulders.
- Use a waist belt to help stabilize the pack.
- And, most importantly, take only what is needed to school.
For more information about backpack safety, please visit your physician. |
