While a backpack may look great hanging off one shoulder; when its filled to the brim with textbooks, sports gear, and a laptop, the weight begins to stack up. Your child's spine could be in for a tough time coping with all the increased stress, and when you add poor posture, lack of exercise and hours of computer time each day into the mix, it's no wonder that almost half (46.1%) of school-aged children suffer from back and/or neck pain.
And its not just chiropractors who think that school backpacks are too heavy. A research study published in the world renowned journal Spine, states that 79% of children find their backpack is too heavy and 66% believe their heavy backpack to be a burden. The Chiropractic Association of Australia (CAA) conducted a study on backpacks in 2011 finding that 90% of children carry their backpack with bad posture and 75% are not using their backpack’s ergonomic features which could help to prevent their back pain.
A heavy backpack has a number of undesirable effects to your child's spine. It distort's the natural curves in the middle and lower back, causing muscle strain and irritation to the spine joints and the rib cage; causes rounding of the shoulders; and requires a child to lean forward, altering their centre of gravity, resulting in reduced balance.
Spinal dysfunction that results from these poor habits, may affect your childs ability to study or participate in sport; setting a poor foundation for spinal health that may carry through into adulthood ("as the twig bends, so grows the tree"). It is important to teach children exactly how they can take care of their back, and to help, here are some easy tips to follow:
When buying a backpack, choose one that is is sturdy, no wider than your child's chest, has two wide padded shoulder straps (tight, narrow straps can dig into your childs shoulders and interfere with circulation and nerves), includes a waist belt, is made of vinyl or canvas (leather is too heavy) and the child feels is overall comfortable. A good example is the Chiropak backpack, endorsed by the CAA.
When wearing your backpack, ensure the weight is evenly distributed over both shoulders and the straps fit just tight enough so that the bottom of the bag does not drop lower than the buttocks.
Pack the backpack with heavier objects placed nearest to the back, closer to the spine, and lighter objects further away.
Weigh a packed backpack, to make sure that it's no heavier than 10% of your child's body weight (e.g. 30kg child = 3kg backpack max). Is everything in the bag really necessary? If so, talk to the child's teacher about an alternative to carrying heavy objects such as large textbooks, back and forth between home and school. Perhaps the school may have lockers that they could used instead.
Always encourage physical activity as much as possible. When participating in any sports, ensure your child stretches before and after each activity as to not injure themselves.
If you would like your Child’s backpack alignment checked, Dr Kelly does back to school Spine and School Bag Checks.
