ROANOKE, Va. – Medical experts warn parents to pay attention to how heavy their child’s backpacks are as students get ready to head back to school.
Dr. Zachary Williams, who is the interim emergency medicine medical director at Lewis Gale Medical Center, said students come in with neck, back, and shoulder pain linked to heavy backpacks.
“I think across the nation and even at the emergency department on rare circumstances, but not infrequently, we see kids come in with neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, and some of that can be contributed to backpack use and the overweight or the amount of weight that’s in the backpack,” said Williams.
He said there can be long- or short-term conditions when it comes to heavy backpacks.
“Certainly, having too much weight in your back can contribute to longer-term or even short-term musculoskeletal disorders or pain, muscle fatigue, and then eventually could even contribute to poor posture,” said Williams.
10 News spoke with a couple of students who agree that their backpacks can be pretty heavy.
“With the schoolbooks and stuff and with a lot of our folders and papers and everything,” said rising high school senior Rowan Soto.
“Kind of, but I like to hold it on the handle of the straps,” said student Ella Coleman
Parent Candace Stephens said that high school students rarely use their lockers, which contributes to the weight issue.
“I’d say so mostly for textbook reasons in high school, they don’t use their lockers very much,” said Stephens.
To prevent your child from going to the emergency room, Dr. Williams has some advice.
He said backpacks should weigh no more than 10-15% of a child’s body weight.
“If you think about that in regards to a kindergartener, typical body weight is going to be about 40 to 50 pounds. So we think that a maximum weight should be about the 5-6 pound range in a backpack for a kindergartener. A sixth grader is going to be about 100 pounds. So we can expect about 10 to 15 pounds to be a reasonable amount for the backpack,” said Williams.
Williams said it’s important to pick out or buy the right backpack.
Here are Key Safety Features to Look For:
Padded, wide shoulder straps
Proper positioning (no more than two inches below the waist)
Multiple compartments for weight distribution
Look for backpacks with a waist strap, especially for heavier backpacks
It’s important for kids to wear them correctly as well.
“Getting them as snug as possible will help distribute the weight,” said Williams.
Also, kids should use both shoulder straps, not just one.
“So, if we’re putting all the weight on one shoulder strap, that’s going to contribute to that overweight on one side. If the child prefers a messenger bag style, it needs to be across and not just again on one shoulder or the other,” said Williams.
Finally, when packing your backpack, you want to place the heavier items closest to the back, such as binders, folders, and notebooks.
Meanwhile, with school right around the corner, Williams said parents need to be vigilant.
“Just general safety precautions, kids are more active, we’ve got a lot of sports coming up in the fall, and just keeping that in mind. We’re always here to take care of the kids if we need to,” said Williams.
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