Schoolchildren should lighten their loads, warn back specialists and public health officials concerned about their size of kids' backpacks.
"I see kids with these huge bags getting out of their parents' cars, walking into schools," said Victoria chiropractor Derek Vinge of Lifemark Sport Medicine.
"I almost want to get out and start passing out my card to parents and talk to them," Vinge said in a telephone interview from his office at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence.
He noted children are facing an increased pressure to earn top marks, or get into the best schools or programs. So they are carrying more books, and increasingly, their own laptop computers.
In addition, they often carry sports equipment, such as cleats, pads or skates, adding to their loads.
"I see them carrying bags that are just way too heavy," Vinge said. "Too much weight is just not good for the spine."
Recently, physical therapists at the Quentin Mease Community Hospital in Houston, Texas, have even warned parents about backpack safety. They noted across the U.S. about 10,000 school-age children visit a doctor complaining of injuries related to their backs.
Quentin Mease, part of the Harris County Hospital District, has even developed a program of backpack education for parents focusing on three things: recognizing when a backpack is too heavy, desirable backpack features, and the proper way to wear and carry a backpack.
Sara Zehr, physical therapist at Quentin Mease, said in a telephone interview many of the problems could be alleviated if backpacks were fitted and carried properly.
Too many kids carry them too low or sling them over one arm. The result can put strains on sections of the back that can bring pain that will carry over into adulthood.
"I have had patients who say their pain started 20, 30 years ago, so that must have been quite young," Zehr said.
Dr. Murray Fyfe, medical health officer with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, said backpack safety has long been a topic for pediatric associations.
Fyfe acknowledged the weight of kids' backpacks is the main issue. But he said the size, or excessive bulkiness can make for a tripping or snagging hazard.
"The bulkiness issue is important; not having a backpack that is too big for the child so that it doesn't get caught in objects as they are passing by," he said.
He recommended parents carry a small load with them to the store when purchasing a backpack and watch their kids as they try them out.
"Try on a number and put some weight in them to see what the child's posture looks like," Fyfe said.
Saanich chiropractor Preet Sehmi who treats children and teens in her practice, says she even sees a difference in her young patients after September, when school resumes and kids pick up their backpacks again.
"I notice their spinal muscles become much tighter after the fall and they are back to school and their hamstrings get a lot tighter," said Sehmi.
She said a simple solution exists and that would be packs with wheels, similar to carry-on suitcases used on airplanes.
"Those wheelie things would be great," said Sehmi. "I would love to see those in schools because they would be so much more ergonomically friendly.
"But good luck in getting kids to use them, because they are just not cool," said the mother of a 12-year-old boy.
Sehmi said the first step for most parents and their kids' backpacks is the simplest. "Just lighten the load." [email protected]
> Going green for your back-to-school routine, D6
PACKING IT ON
It's recommended a backpack should not exceed 10 to 15 per cent of a child's body weight.
But a percentage of body weight doesn't take in to account a child's height, body fat or overall muscle strength. And experts have been unable to agree what is a safe maximum weight.
So the American Physical Therapy Association and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommend weight limits:
a 60-pound child should carry no more than five pounds,
a child weighing 60 to 75 pounds, maximum 10 pounds,
100-pound child, 15 pounds,
125-pound child, 18 pounds.
Source: Harris County Hospital District
