By COLETTE FELLOWS Cooley Dickinson Hospital Do you think the books your child is carrying in a backpack slung across one shoulder are harmless? Think again. Heavy loads carried by more than 79 million students across the U.S. can cause low back pain that often lasts through adulthood. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2010 nearly...
By COLETTE FELLOWS
Cooley Dickinson Hospital
Do you think the books your child is carrying in a backpack slung across one shoulder are harmless?
Think again. Heavy loads carried by more than 79 million students across the U.S. can cause low back pain that often lasts through adulthood. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2010 nearly 28,000 strains, sprains, dislocations, and fractures from backpacks were treated in hospital emergency rooms, physicians’ offices, and clinics.
On Sept. 18, Cooley Dickinson Hospital Occupational Therapists and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) promote National School Backpack Awareness Day.
“This is a time to educate parents, students, educators, school administrators, and communities about the serious health effects that backpacks can have on children, when the backpacks are too heavy or worn improperly,” Gail Hegeman, an occupational therapist and certified ergonomic assessment specialist at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, said.
“For starters, make sure your child uses both shoulder straps, not just one. When a backpack is slung over only one shoulder, the weight disproportionately shifts to one side. This can cause back pain as well as neck and shoulder strain.”
Backpack related injuries send an estimated 5,000 children a year to emergency rooms, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. More than 14,000 children are treated annually for these injuries.
“A child wearing a backpack incorrectly or that is too heavy can be contributing risk factors for discomfort, fatigue, muscle soreness, and musculoskeletal pain, especially in the lower back,” says Karen Jacobs clinical professor of occupational therapy at Boston University, and an expert on school ergonomics.
Hegeman suggests parents watch for warning signs that may indicate a heavy backpack:
Your child struggles when putting on or taking off the backpack
Pain when wearing the backpack
Change in posture when wearing the backpack (a heavy backpack causes the wearer to bend forward)
Tingling or numbness in the arms, hands, fingers, shoulders, upper back
Red marks on the top of the shoulders or in the neck area
Luckily, preventing discomfort and pain is simple. The AOTA offers many tips for keeping kids safe while toting books to and from school.
Backpack Tips
Always select a backpack that is the correct size for your child.
Make sure the height of the backpack extends from approximately 2 inches below the shoulder blades to waist level, or slightly above the waist. Your child’s backpack should not be wider than his or her body.
Make sure your child’s backpack weighs no more than 10 percent of his or her body weight (for a student weighing 100 pounds, this means that the backpack should weigh no more than 10 pounds).
If the backpack weighs more than 10 percent of your child’s weight, determine what supplies can stay at home or at school each day to lessen the load. Make sure your child isn’t carrying non-mandatory items (for example laptops, CD players and video games). These types of items can add extra pounds.
Choose a backpack with well-padded shoulder straps on both shoulders so the weight is evenly balanced.
Make sure that the straps are not too loose and that the backpack does not drop below the pants line.
Distribute weight evenly. Load heaviest items closest to your child’s back and balance materials so the child can easily stand up straight.
Instruct your child to wear the hip belt, if the backpack has one, to improve balance and take some strain off sensitive neck and shoulder muscles.
Instruct your child to lift the backpack using proper lifting technique, which include bending at the knees, using the leg muscles as much as possible when lifting the backpack; and placing one shoulder strap on at a time.
If the backpack is still too heavy for your child, consider a book bag on wheels.
Collette Fellows is supervisor of occupational therapy at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.