Consider Backpack Safety as Kids Get Back to School

Back pain is common in the United States with over 80% of the population experiencing some form of back pain at some point in their life(1).  It is also costly with Americans spending $50 billion on various back pain treatments annually(2)!

As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I strive to find the cause of a person's pain in order to help find a solution.  Many times, conservative treatment and small lifestyle changes are all that are needed to resolve their pain symptoms.

This time of year as kid's return to school it is vital to be aware of a common cause of back pain in children.  Poor posture due to backpack misuse is a prevalent cause of pain in youngsters.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that backpack-related injuries sent more than 7000 people to the emergency room in 2001 alone!

What Can You Do?
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) offers the following tips to help prevent the needless pain that backpack misuse could cause the students in your household.

• Make sure your child's backpack weighs no more than 5 to 10 percent of his or her body weight. A heavier backpack will cause your child to bend forward in an attempt to support the weight on his or her back, rather than on the shoulders, by the straps.
• The backpack should never hang more than four inches below the waistline. A backpack that hangs too low increases the weight on the shoulders, causing your child to lean forward when walking.
• A backpack with individualized compartments helps in positioning the contents most effectively. Make sure that pointy or bulky objects are packed away from the area that will rest on your child's back.
• Bigger is not necessarily better. The more room there is in a backpack, the more your child will carry-and the heavier the backpack will be.
• Urge your child to wear both shoulder straps. Lugging the backpack around by one strap can cause the disproportionate shift of weight to one side, leading to neck and muscle spasms, as well as low-back pain.
• Wide, padded straps are very important. Non-padded straps are uncomfortable, and can dig into your child's shoulders.
• The shoulder straps should be adjustable so the backpack can be fitted to your child's body. Straps that are too loose can cause the backpack to dangle uncomfortably and cause spinal misalignment and pain.
• If the backpack is still too heavy, talk to your child's teacher. Ask if your child could leave the heaviest books at school, and bring home only lighter hand-out materials or workbooks.
• Although the use of rollerpacks - or backpacks on wheels - has become popular in recent years, the ACA is now recommending that they be used cautiously and on a limited basis by only those students who are not physically able to carry a backpack. Some school districts have begun banning the use of rollerpacks because they clutter hallways, resulting in dangerous trips and falls. (Source: http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=65)

Please strive to make an informed choice about your children's back packs and back care. To learn more about how chiropractic may help you, contact a Doctor of Chiropractic in your area.  

1. Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms, Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.
2. This total represents only the more readily identifiable costs for medical care, workers compensation payments and time lost from work. It does not include costs associated with lost personal income due to acquired physical limitation resulting from a back problem and lost employer productivity due to employee medical absence. In Project Briefs: Back Pain Patient Outcomes Assessment Team (BOAT). In MEDTEP Update, Vol. 1 Issue 1, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville,