Backpacks Can Cause Backpain

It's that time of the year again.  The time where all of the kids have gone back to school.  They are grabbing their backpacks and rushing out the door every morning to catch the bus.  This is the normal picture of most households but there is something wrong here and it involves their backpack.

The Consumer Product and Safety Commission estimates that there are 27,900 backpack-related injuries that happen to U.S. kids and adults in a year.  You have to be asking yourself; "How can such a simple product, that so many people use, be causing so many injuries?"  So what are we doing wrong?  There are several precautions we need to take when considering what is the correct backpack to buy, as well as the proper way to wear a backpack.

What Backpack Should I Buy?

When picking out a backpack you should look for several things, the first is the size of the backpack.  We need to be purchasing backpacks that fit properly.  If the backpack is the same size as your child, you have the wrong sized backpack.

You also need to purchase a backpack with padded straps.  As we increase the weight present in the backpack, the full pressure of that weight gets distributed through the straps of the pack onto the person wearing the backpack.  Padding the straps makes sure that they do not dig into or cut the person wearing the pack.  Also, look for a backpack with wide straps, the wider the better.  As we increase surface area by widening the straps, we will decrease the amount of force or pressure that is applied to any one spot on the shoulders.

How Should the Pack be Worn?

One of the first and most important things we need to consider is the weight that is present inside that backpack.  Most parents and teachers would be shocked to discover the amount of weight our students carry in their backpacks.  We have all been there, your kid comes home and puts the backpack where it doesn't belong and you go to pick it up and move it and you practically pull a muscle trying to lift it.  The American Occupational Association, Inc recommends that you should not carry more than 10% of your body weight in your backpack.  This means that a 100 pound person should carry no more than 10 pounds in a backpack.  However, the American Chiropractic Association did a study and found that the average American child carries around 22% or their body weight in the backpacks.  This puts a large amount of stress in the child's shoulders and joints of their back.  To prevent this will take a coordinated effort between parents and teachers to lessen the amount that the student carries in their backpack each day.

The proper placement of the backpack is over BOTH shoulders, with the bottom of the pack no more than 4 inches below their waistline.  This will allow for the weight to be controlled by a bigger group of muscles in the back.  This means that we need to have a backpack that has adjustable straps that allow for tightening and loosening of the shoulder straps to allow the pack to be raised and lowered.

What Are Some Signs of Impending Problems?

There are a few things you can watch for to help make sure these injuries are not beginning with your child:

•  Watch for posture changes as the child carries the backpack
•  Listen for complaints about muscle or joint pain (even foot and knee pain could mean impending back problems)
• Lift the pack yourself to test for the weight - If it is too heavy for you, it is too heavy for your child
• Numbness or tingling from wearing the pack
• Red Marks from the pack

What Do You Do if You See Any of These Signs?

Make a note of them and make sure you notify your physician.  Make the changes suggested above and take your child to a chiropractor to help keep them out of pain!