Tuesday, July 30, 2002

Despite recent attempts to enlighten parents and students about the dangers of carrying overloaded backpacks to and from school, the number of backpack-related injuries have increased by more than two-and-a-half times in the last five years. So with safety a possible high priority as you prepare your back-to-school issue, one leading New York back expert outlines the dangers of shouldering too much weight and what families and schools can do to help ease the load.

Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research member Dr. John Vilkelis addresses this problem regularly. “It’s not uncommon for kids as young as 8 or 10 to come in with pain,” says Vilkelis, who frequently lectures on occupational and lifestyle-related health issues. “While there are a lot of factors that contribute to back and neck problems in kids, the main culprit is often an overweight backpack.”

Recent studies show that students regularly carry more than twice the recommended weight in their backpacks. “Kids shouldn’t be carting more than 10 or 15 percent of their bodyweight on their backs at any time, much less to and from school every single day,” continues Vilkelis. “If a 100-pound kid repeatedly lugs 30 pounds of books or more, I wouldn’t be surprised if that child develops neck and muscle spasms, lower back pain, or even misalignment of the spine.”

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 6,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year for injuries related to shouldering backpacks. More than half of those involved children ages 5 to 14.

But much to the dismay of students, Vilkelis says that the answer isn’t simply giving less homework. “Although teachers should be conscious of the literal weight of their take-home assignments, there are some adjustments parents and children can make to take the strain off the shoulders, back, and spine,” says Vilkelis. “These include buying the right backpack for your child -- one that is built for his or her size and that has wide, padded, and adjustable straps. And make sure that your child knows the importance of always wearing the bag on both shoulders.”

Following Are Some Tips for Safe Backpack Wearing:

 Limit the backpack’s weight to no more than 10 or 15 percent of your child’s weight. You can tell if your child’s bag is too heavy if he or she has to lean forward to support the weight on his or her back rather than on the shoulders, by the straps.

 If a backpack is too heavy, take the time to go through the bag with your child and decide together which non-school-related items are really necessary to carry.

 Make sure your child wears both shoulder straps. Bearing the brunt of the backpack’s weight on just one shoulder can lead to neck and muscle spasms, lower-back pain, and may even misalign the spine.

 Purchase a backpack that is appropriate for your child’s age and size. Many manufacturers offer special child-sized versions that weigh less and sit at the appropriate place in your back. A smaller bag will also help prevent over-stuffing for smaller children.

 Padded straps are very important. In addition to cutting down on how much the backpack digs into your child’s shoulders, a wider strap will better distribute the bag’s weight across the shoulders.

 The shoulder straps should be adjustable, so the backpack rests comfortably approximately two inches above the waist. A bag too high or low on the back can pull awkwardly on the shoulders.

 Adjust contents in the bag so that the surface resting against your child’s back is as flat as possible. In addition to blisters and chafing, an uneven surface could press into the small of one’s back contorting it

 Educate your children about the dangers of lugging too much weight. Most kids are unaware of both the short- and long-term dangers of back strains.

Dr. Vilkelis is a member of the American Chiropractic Association, New York State Chiropractic Association, the ACA Council on Occupational Health and the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research.

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