Mounting research
reveals alarming danger associated with improper backpack use.
For many students,
“hitting the books” leads to academic achievement. Students who carry
those books in overloaded backpacks may be unknowingly participating in
the beginning of a health epidemic.
Scientific research
reveals an alarming danger associated with improper childhood backpack
use. This research stems from the increasing number of reports of childhood
back pain in recent decades. By the end of their teen years, close to 60
percent of youths experience at least one low-back pain episode. And new
research indicates that this may be due, at least in part, to the improper
use of backpacks on young spines.
That’s why Dr.
Marvin Arnsdorff and his partner John Carroll created Backpack Safety America/International™
to curb the rising tide of injury due to improper use of backpacks. “Back
pain leads to more than 19 million doctor visits per year, according to
the U.S. Department of Human Health and Services,” said Dr Arnsdorff.
“What will that
Figure be when the members of the “Backpack Generation” are in their thirties
and forties?”
Backpack Safety
America/International™ is the world’s first comprehensive education program
designed to help students, parents and teachers prevent injuries related
to the improper use of backpacks among school-age children.
Doctors across
North America and around the world have presented the program to more than
a million students, parents, teachers and administrators.
BACKPACKS’
ATTACK ON BACKS
Watch children
in any schoolyard struggle to walk while bent sideways under the weight
of an overloaded backpack on one shoulder. You will quickly realize the
potential danger of this commonplace item. How exactly does carrying a
backpack affect the spine?
Common sense
tells us that a load, distributed improperly or unevenly, day after day,
indeed causes stress to a growing spinal column. The old adage “As the
twig bends, so grows the tree” comes to mind. There is a growing concern
about the improper use of backpacks and the relatively scarce amount of
instructional and preventative information available to young people. It
is not the backpack’s fault that kids have not been given the guidelines.
CHECK THE
NUMBERS
The Consumer
Product Safety Commission estimates that 7,277 emergency room visits each
year result from injuries related to book bags. The CPSC also reports that
backpack-related injuries are up 330% since 1996. “That is the beginning
of an epidemic, one that will cause serious damage to a child’s health
for a lifetime,” said Dr. Arnsdorff.
Do this “heavy”
math: 12 pounds in an average child’s backpack times 10 lifts per day equals
120 pounds lifted per day. This 120 pounds per day times 180 days per school
year equals 21,600 pounds lifted in one school year. That is nearly 11
tons, or the equivalent of six full size automobiles.
GETTING OUT
OF LINE
Hauling a heavy
backpack over one shoulder everyday may cause serious postural misalignments.
These postural imbalances often trigger a condition called vertebral subluxation.
Vertebral subluxations are dysfunctional areas in the spine where movement
is restricted or bones (vertebrae) are out of alignment. This disorder
predisposes patients to a number of ailments, such as neck and back pain,
headaches, and osteoarthritis.
In addition,
a recent scientific experiment found that carrying a backpack alters the
mobility of spinal bones and can lead to restricted movement—a risk factor
for pain. Yet another study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine
the effect of backpacks on the intervertebral disc of the spine, the fluid-filled
“pillows” between spinal bones.
According to
the report, backpacks alter the fluid content of these discs—a risk factor
for disc herniation (“slipped” disc) and osteoarthritis.
BACKPACKS
ARE NOT JUST CAUSING PROBLEMS IN THE UNITED STATES
The amount of
weight carried by children in their backpacks is an important issue that
deserves serious consideration. To quantify how much weight children are
likely to carry in their backpacks, researchers in Milan, Italy, determined
the weight of all the backpacks used by sixth graders at several schools.
The average
load carried daily 20.5 pounds, reaching as much as 27.5 pounds, with the
maximum daily load averaging 25.3 pounds. Over one-third of students carried
more than 30% of their body weight at least once during the week.
BACKPACKS
MAY SPAWN FALLS
Research presented
at the American Academy of physical Medicine and Rehabilitation’s annual
meeting in San Francisco exposes yet another potential danger of heavy
backpacks: they promote falls in students who wear them.
Specifically,
students who carried packs weighing 25% of their body weight exhibited
balance problems while performing normal activities such as climbing stairs
or opening doors, which in turn increases their risk of falls. In contrast,
students who carried packs weighing 15% of their body weight maintained
their balance moderately well.
Those carrying
5% of their body weight were most effective at maintaining balance, compared
with their peers who carried more weight.
ROLLER BAGS
ARE NOT CURE-ALLS
An empty roller
bag can weigh up to 80% more than an empty backpack. Factor in that there
is a tendency to add more things to a roller bag, it can end up weighing
50 pounds or more. At some point during the day, a child needs to lift
that bag, and proper guidelines still should be followed.
These disturbing
trends clearly show the importance of a comprehensive educational program
designed to give students, parents, and teachers guidelines necessary to
prevent future spinal conditions due to improperly worn backpacks.
BACKPACK
SAFETY TIPS
Make sure the
backpack is sturdy and appropriately sized. Some manufacturers offer special
child-sized versions for children ages 5-10. These packs weigh less than
a pound and have shorter back lengths and widths so they do not slip around
on the back.
Consider more
than looks when choosing a backpack. An ill-fitting pack can cause back
pain, muscle strain, or nerve impingement. You want to have padded shoulder
straps to avoid pressure on the nerves around the armpits. Some backpacks
have waist straps designed to stabilize the load.
These should
be used whenever possible.
The proper maximum
weight for loaded backpacks should not exceed 15% of the child’s
body weight. For example, an 80-pound child should not carry more than
12 pounds in a pack. If the pack forces the carrier to bend forward, it
is overloaded.
In loading,
it is obvious that excessive backpack weight can cause problems. Prioritizing
the pack’s content is very important.
Avoid loading
unnecessary items. It is important to balance the weight of the contents
or the body shifts into unnatural postures to compensate.
Often ignored
is the act of lifting and positioning the pack. Lifting 20 pounds improperly
can cause damage. Follow these simple steps:
· Face
the backpack before you lift it.
· Bend
at the knees.
· Using
both hands, check the weight of the pack.
· Lift
with your legs, not your back.
· Carefully
put one shoulder strap on at a time. Never sling the pack onto one shoulder.
Use both shoulder
straps. Make them snug but not too tight.
Carrying the
backpack on one shoulder, while fashionable, can cause long-term
neck, shoulder, back, and postural problems.
Use the stabilizing
waist strap around the waist.
--
Information Provided By
Body Mechanics, Inc. (info@backpacksafe.com)
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