Back to School Backpack Safety

How to pick the best made backpack for your child AND promote safe carrying habits!

---

Written By: Emma White Montalvo, Freelance Writer and Friend of McCann Family Chiropractic

Here at McCann Family Chiropractic, our goal is to help all those who visit achieve whole body wellness. For many families we see, this time of year means shopping for school supplies, preparing children to attend classes, and packing daily lunches into backpacks.
​
Considering the back to school season, we want to share with you advice for encouraging student backpack safety as well as what features to look for when choosing a backpack

Backpacks are used by millions of individuals across the world to help ease the manual burden of carrying items. This is especially true for children and teenagers who are heading back to school after their fun summer break. As such, buying a backpack is an important decision to make for both parent and child.

Did you know that:

Wearing the wrong backpack for your body type can lead to long term posture problems, muscle spasms, and soreness!

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics youth (especially prepubescents) are at greater risk than adults for experiencing backpack related injuries. This is due to them not having significant muscle mass to support heavy backpack weight.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) as well as the National Safety Council (NSC) both provide excellent advice to parents on how to approach finding and using the right backpack. We agree with their advice and know that following the tips we will discuss below will help maintain your child's chiropractic health.
​

First, there are many product attributes to consider before buying a backpack.

Timmy's backpack (age 8) should weigh no more than 3-6 lbs.  Sammy's backpack (age 5) should weigh no more than 2-4 lbs.  And, Teddy's backpack (age 3) should be 1-3 lbs.  

Weight

• For proper spinal development of children, a school backpack and its total contents should only weigh between 5-10% of their total body weight (ACA).

Size

• Length: If a backpack hangs below the waistline by four inches or more (ACA), then it will end up altering the posture of a child as the weight is uncomfortably distributed on their shoulders and forces them to lean forward to accommodate.
• Width: When a backpack is wider than a child's torso (NSC),  it is too big a bag for them to safely carry.

Number of Compartments

• The more pockets  (ACA) a backpack has the better! Pockets allow for customizing item weight distribution. Compartments also limit how much items shift around when a child is moving. ​

Comfort and Safety Features

• Wide adjustable shoulder straps are a great investment. If the backpack frequently dangles too far away from the wearer's body due to loose straps, a child could develop spinal misalignment (ACA).
  
• Padding in multiple places (NSC) is preferable for any daily backpack wearer. Padded shoulder straps limit how much a backpack's weight digs into their shoulders. Padding in the back panel limits the uncomfortable poking and prodding that inevitably comes from having an assortment of school supplies.
  
• Buckling straps across the front of the torso is a common feature of safety-forward backpack design. Having a buckle (NSC) across the chest or across the hips (or even both!) helps keep a backpack snug against the body. These buckle straps also redistribute weight across multiple carrying points instead of just the shoulders.

A good fit helps kids stay healthy and active!

Once school starts, it is important to teach a child proper backpack safety behavior to limit potential injury from improper usage.
​

• Wear both shoulder straps! While it may look cool to sling a backpack over just one shoulder, doing so invites lower back pain as well as neck muscle spasms (ACA) as all that textbook weight pulls down on one side of the body.
• A good rule of thumb for any backpack wearer is to pack the heaviest items at the bottom of the bag and the lightest on the top.
• If an item isn't necessary, don't pack it up (NSC)! Additional weight beyond the recommended 5-10% body weight capacity leads to an increase in bodily stress and injury.
• Keep the backpack snug against the back to make sure it doesn't dangle.

​

Finally, communication is key!

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons encourages all parents to ask their children to be vocal about any discomfort they may feel correlated to wearing their backpack. We certainly agree. How are parents to know if their child is suffering pain at school if the child doesn't speak up at home?

​Practice open communication.

 If a student finds themselves experiencing numbness or tingling anywhere, especially in their arms or their legs, they are likely carrying too much weight. Any back pain should be taken seriously! If pain goes unaddressed long term, spinal subluxations and posture problems are likely to result.

​We love to help kids and families. If your child has complained of back pain from a backpack or otherwise, Dr. Matt is well trained in gentle pediatric adjusting techniques.  Call today to make an appointment!