A study of 500 school students resulted in the report of 63.9% of the girls and 50.9% of the boys experiencing back pain. The children range in age from 11 to 17 and carry backpacks as heavy as 19.8 pounds.
It’s not the only study to find that backpacks cause spinal pain in children. An Italian study found that 16% of children experienced immediate pain, and 48% of them developed back pain in their lifetime. Children in private schools often experience more pain than those in public schools.
As a parent, protecting your child’s health is crucial. Heavy or improperly used backpacks can impact a child’s developing bones. Learn how to protect your child from a lifetime of back pain.
Spinal Development in Children
A child is born with a developing spine. At birth, the spine has one single curve, making it C-shaped. As that baby meets milestones like lifting the head, sitting without falling over, crawling, and eventually walking, additional curves – cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) – take shape. The role of each curve is to help absorb shock and ensure weight distribution is even on all areas of the body.
As a child progresses towards puberty and adulthood, the spine is flexible. It’s at risk of strain injuries when carrying heavy loads. This is why it is important for a child to carry no more than their spine can take and to carry items correctly.
Potential Consequences of a Heavy Backpack
When your child carries a backpack that is too heavy, there are issues that occur immediately. Long-term complications are also risks. We’ll go over both.
Immediate Issues:
- Headaches
- Muscle fatigue, stiffness, and strain in the back, neck, and shoulders
- Pain that limits activities
- Numbness and tingling in the arms and hands
- Shoulder discomfort
Long-Term Complications:
- Chronic back pain
- Increased risk of issues like arthritis, herniated discs, and nerve damage
- Less flexibility
- Muscle spasms
- Poor posture
- Reduced mobility and range of motion
- Risk of spinal deformities
- Worsening symptoms with juvenile conditions like kyphosis or scoliosis
Tips for Protecting Your Child’s Spine
Your child may not understand the complications that arise when an overweight backpack is carried around every day. Follow these steps to help your child avoid back strain.
1. Never Overload
The Spine Health Foundation recommends that a child never carry more than 10% of their body weight in a backpack. If your kindergartener weighs 40 pounds, the backpack should not weigh more than 4 pounds.
Take your child’s body weight and top the last numerical digit to quickly determine how much weight your child’s spine can withstand. A child weighing 78 pounds can handle 7 pounds. A child weighing 120 pounds can manage 12 pounds.
This is important as a child in high school may be carrying more than is recommended. Take the average high school freshman. Unless a school has switched to digital textbooks, most young teens carry:
- Binder or notebooks for each class
- English textbook and novel
- Graphing calculator
- History textbook
- Laptop
- Math textbook
- Pens/pencils
- Science textbook
Think about how this adds up.
- A laptop backpack usually weighs 1 to 2 pounds when empty.
- Binders weigh 10 to 11 ounces.
- Graphing calculators weigh 7 ounces to 9 ounces
- Laptops weigh 2 to 7 pounds.
- Notebooks generally weigh 0.5 to 2 pounds, depending on the size.
- Textbooks generally weigh between 2 and 5 pounds.
Using average weights, just four core classes have your teen carrying about 22 pounds. That’s without adding sports equipment, clothing, shoes, etc. Unless your teen weighs 220 pounds, it’s too much.
Talk to your child’s teacher if your child is continually carrying more than is recommended. There may be ways to limit what your child has to carry home each night.
2. Choose the Best Backpack for Your Child’s Frame
Start by choosing a backpack that is ideal for your child. Weight distribution is important. Look for a backpack with lots of pockets that prevent heavier items from being built up on one side of the backpack versus the other.
Make sure the backpack is the right size. Have your child bend the chin to the chest. Feel for the bump where the neck and shoulders meet. Ask your child to stand with their hands on their hips and ensure the thumbs are pointing towards the spine.
Now, using a tape measure, measure the distance between that vertebra and the point where your child’s thumbs are pointing. You want a backpack that matches or is slightly smaller than that torso measurement.
Have your child try on different backpacks in the store. You want a backpack where the bottom is no lower than the waistline. When your child sits down, the backpack shouldn’t reach the seat of the chair. The shoulder straps should bring the top of the backpack level with the top of the shoulders. If it fails these checks, get a smaller backpack.
Padded straps are better than thin ones, and you want those straps to be wide. Straps should not dig into your child’s shoulders.
If possible, find a backpack with a padded back. This keeps heavier items from digging into the back or shoulder bones.
3. Get a Backpack That Grows With Your Child
Spend extra on a backpack designed to grow with your child. They often have expandable heights. Change the height by unzipping the folded canvas and extending its height. You spend more, but it lasts longer as it’s designed to be durable and last years or decades.
Brands like Stokke and Kai offer backpacks that grow with a child. Ergonomic backpacks offered by brands like Beckmann are also worth looking at because they’re designed to be gentle on growing bodies.
4. Use a Backpack Properly
Teach your child to use the backpack correctly. Backpacks have shoulder straps. They need to be tight enough that they support the backpack without digging into your child’s shoulders.
Backpacks also have hip belts. Hip belts add stability and keep the backpack from bouncing against the back while walking. They also keep the load from swaying or shifting while your child walks. When the hip belt is used, it transfers some weight from the shoulders to the hips.
Your child needs to know that carrying the backpack like a sling isn’t good for the spine. There are two arm straps for a reason. It may seem annoying to keep the backpack on the back while sitting on the bus or moving from one class to the next, but it’s important to wear it properly.
See a Doctor if Back Pain Persists
Don’t ignore your child’s back pain. It could lead to problems with childhood development. Pain can be distracting and impact your child’s ability to play sports or simply have fun being a child.
Check-in online to see Premium Urgent Care’s doctors for walk-in examinations and treatments for pediatric back pain. With hours that extend past when most family doctors are open and weekend hours, we fit into busy school schedules.