Backpack Safety

It used to be that carrying a heavy academic load meant a series of difficult classes. But these days, if your child is like an increasing number, he or she has become a beast of burden, carrying a heavy load of books back and forth from school.
Hauling a heavy backpack over one shoulder can cause serious postural misalignments. Common sense tells us that a heavy load, unevenly distributed, day after day, can stress a still growing spine. Again, consider the old adage "As the twig bends, so grows the tree."
Compounding these postural distortions is research indicating heavy backpacks (25% of a child’s body weight or more) impair balance and increase slips and falls. In contrast, students who carried packs weighing 15% or less of their body weight maintained their balance moderately well.
Consider these backpack safety suggestions:
- Make sure your child’s backpack is appropriately sized.
- Look for padded shoulder straps to avoid nerve pressure around the armpits and shoulders.
- The maximum weight of loaded backpacks should not exceed 15% of the child’s body weight.
- Avoid unnecessary items and balance the contents.
- Use both shoulder straps.
- Consult our office. We detect and correct spinal problems in children to help avoid the often difficult-to-correct problems we see in adults.



Patient Login
Free Newsletter
Dr. Jon Gray Asks...
