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Backpack Safety

Date Posted: 03/01/07

It’s back to school and backpacks can be a real pain! AOSM’s Director of Physical Therapy, Cindy Murray, appeared on WFAA-TV’s Good Morning Texas program with the following backpack safety tips. View the full article on WFAA’s website.

Backpack safety

Just like the kids who carry them, backpacks come in all sizes and shapes. They even help a student express their sense of style. But there’s a downside,a lot of kids develop severe back pain and posture problems. Director of Physical Therapy for Associated Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Plano Cindy Murray has these suggestions:

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

  • Heavy backpacks can injure muscles and joints and lead to severe back, neck and shoulder pain, as well as posture problems.
  • A child’s backpack should weigh no more than 15 to 20 percent of the child’s body weight – depending on their body strength and fitness.

Warning signs a backpack is too heavy:

  • Change in posture when wearing the backpack
  • Struggling when putting on or taking off the backpack
  • Pain when wearing the backpack
  • Tingling or numbness
  • Red marks

Safe backpack use:

  • Use a backpack that has a padded back and padded shoulder straps to increase comfort and protect against sharp edges
  • Wear both shoulder straps
  • Adjust shoulder straps so the backpack is worn over the strongest mid-back muscles
  • Arms should move freely and a backpack should be easy to put on and take off
  • Use a waist strap and multiple compartments in a backpack to distribute the weight of a heavy load more evenly
  • Carry only those items that are needed for that school day
  • Place heaviest items closest to the back to reduce kinetic forces that cause postural malalignment and overwork muscles
  • Bend at the knees and use your legs to put on a backpack

Other tips:

  • Check to see if your school allows rolling backpacks
  • Parents should encourage children to tell them about back pain or discomfort