From rucksacks with basic zipper fronts practical for carrying a pencil case, lunch box and water bottle, to a top-loading design with separate compartments large enough to fit a laptop or binder and securing shut with a drawstring and magnetic tabs, backpack designs are as varied as their uses.
For many, they are also a back-to-school staple. Purchased annually or every couple of years, they are used daily to carry all a student might need in a day — laptop, tablet, books, paper-filled binders, phones, chargers, lunch and snacks, even gym shoes. Which also means, they can get heavy, potentially causing discomfort and strain on the body of your pre-, grade- or high-school learner.
“I know myself that I’m a culprit of it where we try to stuff as much as I can in a backpack and carry it, but it can lead to back pain,†said Crystal Draper, who, along with being a chiropractor, is the director of professional practice at Canadian Chiropractic Association. “From a statistics standpoint, roughly 40 per cent of children will report back pain and a lot of times that is attributed to their backpacks.â€
We recently spoke to Draper to learn more about what parents should look for in a backpack for their child, and some general advice to follow to reduce the strain on their child’s spine.
What do parents need to remember when it comes to backpacks?
It really goes back to the weight of the backpack. That is something that we see the most. The general rule that we like to live by is 10 to 15 per cent of a child’s body weight is how much their backpack should weigh. That weight is going to change as a child gets older and larger, but if we’re doing that appropriately, and we’re not overstuffing, then parents should be in the clear.Â
What are parents and students putting in their backpacks that is causing the weight?
Well, back in my day, it was textbooks, but those don’t really exist so much anymore. But they may have books, laptops, tablets or devices. Then there are the gym shoes and there are lunches and whatever else a kid nowadays needs to carry with them to school. Books tend to be the heaviest things, so if it is either a book or a laptop or a tablet, I usually recommend — and backpacks are getting more sophisticated and functional where they have a separate compartment at the back — is to put anything that is heavier or flat in that back compartment because it is then flush with your back. What you want to do is carry the load closer to you so it doesn’t cause so much stress and strain through the muscles and the joints.
From carrying a laptop for work I know it does feel heavier when you are walking a few blocks.
I am sure you’ve seen the kids that have their straps really lax and their backpack is just draping and it’s below their bum, and you see them leaning forward and you can see all of the posture changes that are happening. Putting that load closer to your back as much as possible and then making sure the straps are adjustable and nice and tight, will help to alleviate some of that load.
As a parent, I would want to make sure my child had everything they might need for that day, but am I causing issues by doing that?
Again, try to stay within that 10- to 15-per-cent range if you can for the weight of the backpack. If it is something like lunch or any additional stuff, having them carry an additional bag is helpful so that you’re not loading everything into the backpack. If you have a little bag they can carry, then you can lighten the load and help to distribute the load so that everything doesn’t have to go into that one place.
What should parents look for in a backpack?
Fit to size would be the biggest thing. If you’ve got a younger kid, giving them an adult backpack that’s large and will cause that classic draping under the bum, is going to just increase the pressure and the force through their spine.
Bring your kid along with you to the store when getting one so you can make it a fun experience. Make sure that it’s a backpack that your kid likes, have them try them on, and even talk through the different things that you’re looking for, like ‘How does this feel?’, ‘Let’s make sure these straps are adjustable and they feel snug.’
Looking for different compartments is helpful so, again, you can put any device or heavier objects in the back compartments and distribute the weight throughout the rest of the backpack.
Padding with thicker shoulder straps is great, too, so that it helps to distribute the weight and helps to support their shoulders. Those would be the key things. And then the actual material of the backpack; having a lighter weight so it is not contributing to the extra weight you are carrying.Â
You mentioned spinal health, what are some concerns or issues that can occur with taking a heavy backpack to school over time?
What we start to see are some posture changes most predominantly. For example, if you have a really heavy backpack, it starts to pull you back, and what you will do is try to counteract that — to stay upright and combat gravity — so we start to lean forward, and hinge forward at our hips and push our necks out and raise our shoulders. All of that can lead to compensation changes, so the muscles will start to get tight and it might put extra force through the joints of the spine, and that is what can lead to back pain.
The other thing that we see is the one shoulder. You know, the ‘I am just going to the bus,’ and they flop it onto just one shoulder. And, even me, just demonstrating that movement, you can see me intuitively leaning to the other side. So, we see extra tension in the shoulder region, through the neck, and the lower back on the other side from where the backpack is being carried as a counterbalance.Â
Does that mean a tote or messenger bag is not a good option?
We don’t like those. Having two straps is ideal for so many reasons. The two straps, and the different departments, helps to distribute the weight as much as possible. Where with one strap you really hike up the shoulder. We see this also in adults, in teens, anyone who is carrying a purse we see the same thing where you really hike a shoulder, and that is to help support the strap because you don’t want it sliding off. With two straps it is more secure, with the padding more comfortable and with the adjustable straps you can keep everything nice and close to your spine.
So, we don’t love the messenger bags or the tote bags — and this is for adolescents all the way up into adulthood.
NOTE: This interview has been condensed for length and clarity.
