By Marc Orlando, MD, and Jenna Till, DPT
As the school year approaches, families everywhere are preparing to shop for books, writing utensils, computer notepads and – perhaps most essential of all – backpacks.
The backpack is not only an important conveyance of virtually everything your child needs during the school day, it is also an important determinant of your child’s spine health. Each year backpacks cause some 15,000 injuries — primarily strains and sprains to the upper, middle and lower back — in the United States. We know that some children are carrying backpacks that weigh up to 30 pounds.
A good rule of thumb: the backpack should weigh no more than 15 percent of your child’s weight. A sixth-grade student who weighs 100 pounds should not carry a backpack weighing more than 10 pounds, 15 at the most. Carrying a backpack that is more than 20 percent of the child’s body weight could lead to spinal disc compression, resulting in serious neck or back pain.
Here are tips to help you choose an optimal backpack and ensure that your child wears it in the safest way.
- Choose a pack with thick, cushy straps that can be adjusted and tightened until they are snug but comfortable.
- The pack should be worn over both shoulders. Discourage the one-shoulder, too-cool-for-school look.
- The pack should rest flush against the back, with the weight distributed evenly and mostly in the area of the middle (or thoracic) back. If the backpack offers a chest and/or waist strap, utilize this for additional support. The pack should not flop down past the child’s hips. A drooping backpack that rests against a small child’s buttocks or legs is a definite no-no.
- Children in middle school or high school who haven’t had their growth spurt may need a shorter bag that keeps the weight in the mid-back, or mid-thoracic, area.
- When using a computer bag instead of a backpack, sling the arm strap across your body.
- When using a bag that does not have a strap, switch the bag from one hand to the other throughout the day.
- Keep the bag as light as possible by removing all unnecessary items.
- Some schools may have duplicate copies of textbooks. If the opportunity exists, leave one copy at school and keep one at home.
- Finally, check your child’s posture. If the bag is causing his or her head to lean forward, the bag is likely too heavy and is increasing force and compression on the spine. Each inch of forward head posture increases the head’s weight on the spine by 10 pounds.
- If an exceptionally heavy backpack cannot be avoided, invest in a rolling bag or a rolling cart that can accommodate the backpack.
We realize that backpack safety requires a little extra effort, but we think you’ll agree that your child’s healthy spine is a worthwhile reward.
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Marc Orlando, MD, is a physical medicine & rehabilitation specialist with Mayfield Brain & Spine.
Jenna Till, DPT, is a physical therapist at Mayfield Physical Therapy.