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Bearing the Backpack Burden

Aching shoulders. Tingling arms. Weakened muscles. Stooped posture.

Are you tired of lugging around a heavy school backpack all day? Carrying too much weight in a pack or wearing a pack incorrectly can cause long-term problems unless you or your parents take steps to ensure that you wear your backpacks correctly.

Physical therapists can show kids and their parents how to prevent painful problems that can crop up from improper school backpack use. The three most important factors are selecting a pack, loading a pack, and wearing a pack.

Selecting a Pack

  • Choose a pack that’s appropriate to the child’s size and age. School backpacks come in different sizes for different ages.
  • Select a pack with well-padded shoulder straps. The shoulders and neck are rich in blood vessels and nerves that when constricted can cause pain and tingling in the neck, arms, and hands.
  • Choose a pack with a waist-belt to be fastened for extra support and to help transfer the weight from the shoulders to the body’s trunk and hips.
  • Consider a pack with reflective trim to increase visibility of kids who carry the school backpack in the evening.
  • When shopping for a school backpack, take along books and other materials that the child would carry to judge how each pack varies when fully loaded.

Loading a Pack

  • Never allow a child to carry more than 15% of his or her body weight. That means a child who weighs 100 pounds should not carry a school backpack that weighs more than 15 pounds.
  • Load heaviest items closest to the child’s back.
  • Pack items neatly and organized to keep books and materials from sliding around in the pack, shifting the weight.
  • If a pack is too heavy, consider using one on wheels.

Wearing a Pack

  • Always wear both shoulder straps to distribute weight evenly. Wearing a pack slung over one shoulder can cause a person to lean to one side and curve the spine.
  • Adjust the shoulder straps so that the pack fits snugly to the child’s back. A pack that hangs loosely from the back can pull the child backwards and strain muscles between the shoulders.
  • The bottom of the pack should rest in the curve of the lower back.  It should never rest more than four inches below the child’s waistline.

For more information, contact the physical therapists at Avera Queen of Peace Health Services, (605) 995-2239.