Heavy backpacks can seriously harm our children

Last academic year, I saw a few children between the ages of 7 and 16 with back, neck, and shoulder pain that was caused by wearing backpacks that were either too heavy or incorrectly worn. Over the last week, I’ve seen two.

When walking along a flat surface, a backpack that weighs 10 pounds, translates into a force of 72 pounds on a child’s spine. If that child climbs an incline of 20 degrees, the 10-pound backpack now places a force of 116 pounds on their spine.

Many children are carrying around backpacks which are equivalent to 30-40% of their body weight. A backpack weight far exceeding the weight that their developing and malleable musculoskeletal systems should be subjected to.

Disturbingly, most of these children carry around their overweight backpacks for most of their school life, extending over 12 years and more. Often resulting in health consequences that last a lifetime.

The backpack’s biomechanical impact on a child

Wearing a backpack alters a child’s posture and gait. The degree of alteration is almost always proportional to the weight of the backpack (and how it is carried). The heavier the backpack the more the child’s upper torso will be backwardly arched. To stay upright, and prevent themselves from falling back, the child reflexly bends forward at their hips and or their spine. Over time, this compensatory posture leads to changes in head-neck angles, shoulder symmetry, pelvic tilt, significant alterations in the spine’s natural curves, and protrusion of the abdomen. Girls are somewhat more predisposed than boys to the health consequences of lugging around a heavy backpack.

A backpack should not exceed 10% of a child’s weight. This means that a 70-pound child’s backpack should not exceed 7 pounds.

Adult students, i.e. college and university students over 18, can safely carry backpacks that weigh up to 20% of their body’s weight.

Items often found in a child’s backpack

● Textbooks

● Exercise books

● Pencil case

● Calculator

● Geometry set

● Laptop/ iPad

● Sporting/ PE clothing/ footwear

● Extra set of clothes

● Musical instrument

● Lunch container

● Snacks

● Water bottle

● Sanitary products (girls)

● Tissue

● Umbrella

● Hand sanitizer

● Other.

Red flags that may indicate that your child’s backpack is too heavy

● The child often complains of pain – shoulders, back, neck, hips, knees, headaches.

● Poor posture when backpack is worn.

● Weight of backpack exceeds 10% of child’s weight.

● The child needs help putting on or removing backpack.

● Without the backpack, poor posture is maintained.

● Child prefers to wear backpack over one shoulder.

● Indentation or discolouration of shoulder skin.

● Child reports weakness, numbness, and or tingling in their arms and or hands.

Some consequences of carrying around too heavy a backpack

● Pain – back, neck, shoulder, hip, and or knee

● Headaches

● Muscle spasm – neck, upper back, shoulders, hip

● Permanent spinal deformities – e.g. scoliosis and kyphosis

● Hunchback posture

● Weakness, numbness, and tingling in arms and hands

● Excessive fatigue

● One shoulder persistently held higher than the other

● Falls

● Onset of spinal arthritis in early adulthood.

● Herniated intervertebral disc.

● Reduced lung volume from a change in posture.

How to lessen the chances of backpack-related medical complications

● A backpack and its contents should never exceed 10% of child’s weight.

● Backpack should be repacked daily, only carrying items needed for that day.

● Water bottle in the backpack should be empty.

● Backpack should never exceed the child’s shoulder width and should not extend more than 4 inches below the waist.

● There should be padding wherever the backpack touches the body.

● Backpack should always be worn over both shoulders.

● Backpack should be lightweight with wide padded shoulder straps.