Originally published August 28 2005
Kids' backpacks can cause back pain
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
If loaded too heavily, children's backpacks can cause neck, shoulder and back pain.
Backpacks come in all sizes, colors and fabrics and offer kids a fun way to express their own sense of style while helping organize books and papers.
Experts estimate about half of all American school children carry too much weight in their backpacks, causing some kids to experience neck, shoulder and back pain.
Although experts recommend backpacks should weigh no more than 10 percent of a child's weight, the average backpack weighs in at 20 percent of his or her weight.
In fact, 10 to 19 percent of children miss school or sports activities every year because of pain caused by heavy backpacks.
Furthermore, 30 to 50 percent of adolescents complain of pain related to backpack use.
The spine is made of 33 bones called vertebrae, and between the vertebrae are discs that act as natural shock absorbers.
To help lighten the load, kids should limit personal items, use both straps to distribute the weight and wear backpacks over the strongest mid-back muscles.
Adolescent girls ages 11 to 16 are most at risk because they experience a growth spurt during that age bracket.
Kids who walk to and from school are also more likely to suffer Back pain from heavy packs because duration of use increases the risk of injury.
When we treat patients for backpack pain, we usually prescribe a 10-day supply of anti-inflammatory medicine like Motrin and suggest lifestyle changes to help reduce weight and the amount of carry time.
Teachers and educators realize that improper backpack use is a health concern, and schools are implementing an array of methods to help alleviate the issue, from using more handouts and lighter materials to offering digital/electronic assignments to even providing duplicate set of books, one for school and one for home.
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