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Backpack Safety for Students Dr. Steven Weiniger
"As the sapling is bent, so grows the tree". 
Pediatricians and chiropractors are seeing an epidemic of
middle and high school students suffering from back pain due to carrying heavy
backpacks. A few years ago it
seemed like a good way for kids to carry their books.
Unfortunately, the weight of the backpacks has mushroomed for the 40
million students who carry them to school each day. Have you ever really looked at the posture of an 80 pound
sixth grader bent under a 40-pound backpack?
The weight of the backpack forces the child to hunch over with shoulders
rounded and head jutting forward. Over
time, the muscles adapt to permanent poor posture, often leading to back
problems and other injuries. For many, lifetime back pain can begin in middle
school. In 1998 over 3,300 children under age 14 were treated in
emergency rooms for injuries related to backpacks, according to the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. Studies show most kids carry far more than
the recommended 15% of their body weight.
The idea of a boy carrying his girlfriend’s books home from school has
gone from being a romantic notion, to impossible. 
Pay attention to common sense advice like simply lightening
the load. Teaching kids that they don’t have to carry everything they own will
help, but the fact is, until kids all carry one pound, indestructible computers,
backpacks are not going to shrink much. Some will use backpacks on wheels, but many kids consider
these “uncool”. For a teenager, being cool is far more important than good
posture. But all kids can be taught smart backpack ergonomics, such as loading
the heaviest items closest to the back.
A well fitting and properly adjusted backpack, worn with snugly fitting
straps, can help reduce the biomechanical stress on growing spines. Many parents are helping their kids fight poor posture and
the backpack problem with posture exercises. Posture exercises train kids to
stand straight with their head and shoulders pulled back in line with their
hips. Stretching tight muscles and
strengthening weak ones helps to restore and maintain good posture. And, parents often join their kids in posture exercise
because in addition to improving posture, these exercises can help relieve and
prevent back pain. Dr. Steven Weiniger of BodyZone.com recommends the following
posture exercises for middle and high school students.
All posture exercises should be performed pain free.
If you experience pain or discomfort, stop the exercise and consult your
physician. ________________ Neck Stretch / Cervical Retraction Posture Ball Back Stretch
Get more great tips for loading and carrying a backpack. |
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