When it comes to the heft of your child’s school backpack, how much is too much? Writer Kathleen Miller checks in with Dr. Stefanie Haugen for some valuable advice.
By Kathleen F. Miller
Back-to-school shopping lists always have one item in common: a new backpack. But be aware, the weight of a Sherpa-sized pack can cause pain and damage to a child's growing spine.
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Pain You Can Prevent
According to Dr. Stefanie Haugen, trained at Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, MO,; carrying a heavy backpack improperly over time can result in long-term challenges to a child’s spine, including, "strained muscles and joints, headaches, forward head posture and serious back pain."
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Haugen says the most common symptom is "rucksack palsy."
"This condition results when pressure put on the nerves in the shoulder causes numbness in the hands, muscle waiting, and in extreme cases, nerve damage. While there are many causes of back pain, backpack-caused pain is a serious, yet preventable cause.”
The Right Way To Wear A Backpack
Many students do not carry their backpacks properly. Here are some of Haugen’s tips:
- Do not sling it over one shoulder and don’t let it ride low on the back
- Avoid letting your student use too big of a backpack. The bottom of the backpack should align with the curve of the lower back, and should not be more than four inches below the waistline.
- Don’t carry a locker's worth of books to home and back to school every day. Carry what is needed for the day.
- Place the heavier books closest to the back -- in the closest compartment to the back -- for the best distribution of weight.
- Cinch the shoulder straps to keep the backpack snug against the back. A backpack’s shoulder-strap anchor points should rest one to two inches below the top of the shoulders.
- The backpack shouldn’t exceed 10 to 15 percent of the student’s body weight. An 80-pound kid shouldn’t be lugging around a 12-pound backpack on a regular basis.
Act Early To Treat Pain
Parents should listen carefully and respond immediately when children complain of pain associated with carrying their backpack.
"If they complain of neck or back pain, take them to see your family chiropractor, a physical therapist, or your family doctor or another posture specialist.”