By: Steve Siwy for Back1With the return of Autumn comes the beginning of another school year, and children across the U.S. are once again packing up their bookbags to return to class. With more and more kids carrying all their textbooks back and forth to school on their backs, however, groups like the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) are cautioning that a student’s homework load might become a literal one, straining young back muscles and possibly contributing to chronic problems.
Compared to shoulder bags or briefcases, backpacks are a better way for children to carry books and school supplies, because they distribute the load more evenly, and are supported by the back and abdominal muscles. Thus, backpacks leave students less prone to pain or injury than other kinds of bookbags.
If a child overloads his backpack, however, or wears it improperly, it may cause back pain, as well as pain in the shoulders or back. The AOTA warns that over time, wearing a heavy pack can cause pain and posture problems that may affect the student into his adult years.
Overloaded backpacks can pull backward on a child, causing her to compensate by bending at the hips, or by arching her back. This can put unhealthy pressure on the spine, as well as straining young back muscles. “Kids who keep stuffing their packs wind up carrying nearly as many pounds on their backs as they weigh, which could have long-term health consequences,” says Karen Jacobs, EdD, of Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
“Parents should be ‘pack partners’ with their kids, helping pick the right size backpack and teaching them how to load and carry it,” she says. The AOTA recommends that parents can start by helping their child choose the proper-sized backpack for her age and height, and packing it appropriately for her weight.
The AOTA advises that children shouldn’t carry more than 15% of their body weight, and that the heaviest items should be loaded closest to their backs. Loads should also be prevented from sliding around in the backpack, and the straps should be snug, so that the bottom of the pack sits in the curve of the lower back (the AOTA recommends that the bottom of the pack shouldn’t rest more than 4 inches below the waistline). Also, children should always wear both shoulder straps, as leaning to one side under the weight of a full backpack can curve the spine and lead to back pain, as well as the waist belt (if the pack has one), which takes weight off of the shoulders.
If a student’s school allows it, he can carry his supplies in a wheeled bookbag, which resembles carry-on luggage. The Nemours Foundation notes, however, that a wheeled bookbag may not be idea, depending on the student’s situation: wheeled bookbags are tougher to lug up stairs, or to roll through snow, for instance, and can pose a tripping hazard in the halls.
Most importantly, though, parents can be advocates for their young student’s back health. The American Association of Pediatrics also advises that parents can talk to their children’s school to find out if lockers are available (some schools have done away with them for safety or security reasons), or if the load can be lightened by issuing a duplicate set of textbooks to be used at home, so that students aren’t left having to haul a day’s worth of heavy books back and forth. Most importantly, the APA says, parents should encourage their children to speak up about back pain or discomfort, and call her pediatrician if back pain becomes an issue.
.jpg)
