Your kid comes home, and the first thing shed is usually their backpack at the door. Later, you go to pick it up and grunt; it feels like it’s filed with 40 pounds of rocks.
But there are plenty of signs that your child’s backpack is too heavy that parents should pick up on before dislocating a shoulder while tidying up after their student. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least 14,000 children are treated for backpack-related injuries every year.
Before they end up in the emergency room, there are specific signs that should be cause for concern, say experts. Sore necks and shoulders, complaints of numbness or tingling and red marks on their shoulders left by their backpack straps are sure signs.
It shouldn’t be surprising.
Start with an empty pack and add their lunch, textbooks – which can weigh around 3.5 pounds each – binders and various electronics, and the scales can tip pretty quickly, sometimes to dangerous levels. Add the fact that few people wear backpacks correctly, usually slung over one shoulder, and the problems add up.
Heavy backpacks, especially worn improperly, create a forward lean with a forward head posture and extended neck which lead to neck and shoulder pain. That lean also can result in lower back pain and spinal trouble, say physicians. The strain is also felt in the joints of the shoulders and knees, from the change in body mechanics.
For the record, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends that the weight of a backpack should be less than 10-15 percent of a child’s body weight. They also have other tips to help make it a safe and healthy school year.
They include:
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When buying a backpack, the temptation is “the cheaper the better.” But the AAOS suggest you shop at a sporting goods store, where salespeople can fit your child’s backpack for ergonomic design, quality materials and proper padding.
Size matters
The backpack should never be wider or longer than your child’s torso. It should never hang more than four inches below their waist. If it hangs any lower, your child will be more apt to walk leaning forward to compensate for a lower center of balance, and injuries are more likely.
Distribute weight
Packing stuff into a backpack is also often overlooked. Orthopedists suggest you pack heavy objects lower in the pack, where they will be born closer to the body and will be easier to carry. If the pack has side compression straps, use them – they’ll help stabilize the load and prevent shifting that can lead to muscle strains.
Wear it properly
It’s common to wear backpacks slung over one shoulder. That’s the main cause of injuries, according to experts. Instead, backpacks should be worn using both shoulder straps and even the waist strap, as unpopular as that might be, to help distribute the weight of the pack. You should also adjust the shoulder straps so the backpack is worn close to the body, with as little space between the pack and your child’s back as possible,
Do those, doctors suggest, and mind the greatest rule of all: If something can be left at home, leave it. Unnecessary items only add to an already unwieldy load.
