Children these days have larger and heavier backpacks every year. Each day these packs are filled with books, notebooks, lunches, and even gym clothes. This is a scary trend and without some form of regulation on the amount of weight allowed in a child’s backpack, we could start to see an epidemic of childhood back pain.

A 2003 study by the Spine journal questioned 1,126 kids between 12-18 years of age. The questionnaire inquired about general health, backpack use, back pain, body weight, and they also weighed all of the children’s backpacks. An unbelievable 74% of all the students reported some form of back pain in the past month. It was also noted that females were twice as likely to experience back pain with daily backpack use.

Recent research is starting to define a safe amount of weight for kids to carry. It seems like anything more than 10-15% of the child’s weight is going to put the child at a much higher risk of associated health problems. This means that a 60 pound child should not carry more than 6-9 pounds total. Some scientists suggest that certain forms of scoliosis may even be caused by excessive use of backpacks.

The current research shows that a child’s gait and there posture are changed significantly while wearing some form of backpack. There is a more dramatic change if the backpack is not worn correctly. Carrying a backpack over one shoulder or wearing it too low on the back can increase the forces put on the spine and the surrounding tissues. This can lead to a developmental issue if this force is experienced on a frequent basis. One article pointed out that schools who do not allow backpack use between classes had a significantly smaller incidence of back pain. These schools allow students to carry their belongings to school, but they must leave their backpack in a locker during the school day.

Once students reach college age most skeletal development has occurred, and their bones will no longer need to grow. This is when it is acceptable to carry a heavier pack like that seen in outdoor activities. Before this time, excessive weight can cause potentially permanent harm to a person’s spinal curves and posture. These problems may not cause symptoms until years later, but at that point the damage is hard to correct.

Be sure to outfit your children with a backpack that is appropriate to their body size. If you stand behind your child an all you see is backpack then it is too large. You should be able to see the tops of the shoulders and the majority of their butt when the backpack is on. The backpack should have the shoulder straps tightened to the point where the backpack rests on their back, and not on their butt, if the weight is carried too low, the child will have to lean forward more to compensate for this weight distribution.

The three most important messages for parents are to encourage your kids to carry their backpack using both shoulders, be sure not to carry more than 10-15% of their body weight, and try to load the heavier books and items in the part of the backpack closest to their back. These simple safeguards may help prevent your children from having a lifetime of chronic back pain.

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