Once again school looms ahead of us, and it’s time to do the back to school shopping. Most items are of little “health” interest aside of one critical aspect. The Backpack.

Backpacks are a neccesity for your child who is soon to go off to our wonderful Loudoun county schools. Luckily, many families are becoming aware of the health concerns related to the packs. Most children are severely overloaded with books, and are carrying more weight than their underdeveloped spines can healthily carry. What follows are recommendations of what to look for in a backpack.

About 60% of school children experience back pain.

1. Backpacks with waist or chest straps – Horizontal straps across the chest and abs dramatically lower the downward compressive forces of the backpack, thus lowering long term spinal damage. They do so by spreading the force along a more diffuse area. Additionally the straps help to prevent sudden acqward side-to-side shifting of the pack, which are the motions that are most commonly associated with back sprains and sudden pain.
2. Wide padded shoulder straps – Wide shoulder straps spread the weight more evenly along the shoulder. Although they make no difference to back compression, they are healthier for the shoulders themselves.
3. Limit the size of the pack – Don’t get the biggest pack you can find. Small packs have a few distinct advantages. One is they are less likely to harbor bacteria, mold, and other things that you go uggghhhh. This is because limited space forces more frequent cleaning out of the pack to regain space.. The second advantage is one that can be seen as a negative as well. Sometimes your child will be unable to get absolutely everybook imaginable in the bag. This is a good thing because the child will be forced to carry some of the weight in his or her hands, thus balancing the weight a bit from front to back. As for the occasional forgotten book on the bus… sorry about that one. A good guide for bag size is  the bag should be no larger than the child’s back. It should rest 1-2 inches below the shoulders and no more than 4 inches below the bellybutton.
4. Avoid Trolley or Roller Packs – Research has shown that trolley packs tend to result in increased long term twisting with extension (bending backwards). This coupled movement is actually worse at lower weights that having the weight on the back, as it focuses all the body weight over a focal single area, as opposed to the full width of a child’s lower back spinal disks. Further risk for injury occurs when the rollers begin wobbling (a very common occurance), or when children lifting the trollyed backpack over curbs. Finally, many schools prohibit the use of these packs as they pose tripping risks in hallways. Trolley school bags are only good if the weight of the backpack is extremely excessive.

What is a safe backpack weight?

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