With the start of the school year, the health portfolio urges teachers, parents and primary caregivers to pay attention to the weight of the backpack of children and adolescents.
Have the students carry on their shoulders a backpack whose content is overweight for your body weight, increases the risk of injury.
Depending on the form of transportation, the distance to the educational institution, the weight transported, the way to carry it and its designbackpacks affect the muscles and joints of the shoulders and spine.
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The injuries range from back pain that can last into adulthood, to juvenile scoliosis (abnormal deviation or curvature of the spine), kyphosis (abnormal arching of the back) or early osteoarthritis that affects bone growth.
It is essential that students be able to carry out daily only the necessary supplies without exceeding 10% – 15% of your body weight.
Likewise, in the classroom you can implement measures aimed at reducing the weight of the backpacks as well as the use of a file with the daily notes of each subject, instead of a notebook for each one, and use shelves or school lockers with identification to store personal items that do not need to be transported daily.
On the other hand, it is important to promote physical activities, good postural hygiene and reduce screen time to, in this way, strengthen both the abdominal and back muscles, in order to reduce the risk of injury.
Tips for backpack use
– Keep good posture, back straight and not curved.
– Avoid that the boy or girl carry a backpack with a lot of weight for more than 15 minutes. Take into account the distance from the educational institution and the student’s travel time.
– Always use the two fitted backpack straps, because carrying the pack on one shoulder can overstrain your muscles and damage your developing spine. The handles should be adjusted as symmetrically as possible (both at the same distance).
– raise the backpack to the shoulder, placing it on a surface at hip height and not from the ground.
– Rest the backpack on the lumbar area should remain about two inches above the waist. When it exceeds this, it is because the backpack is too big for the schoolboy.
– Flex both knees in case you have to bend over with the backpack on.
– Check weight daily and content of the backpack, so that it contains only the essential elements requested by the teachers.
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backpacks with wheels
*In the case of opting for a backpack with wheels, those that can be pushed are recommended, because if they are pulled, an extension of the shoulder (arm backwards) is caused, which compromises the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints, increasing the risk of suffering injuries such as subacromial syndrome, tendonitis or subluxations of the humerus.
*Keep in mind that the backpack with wheels carried with one hand will cause normal rocking movements of the arms during the march are altered, and it could increase the flexion of the hips necessary when walking.
*The use of the backpack with wheels could cause minors adaptations in ankles, hips, pelvis and trunk than using the backpack on the shoulder and on the back, carrying the same weight.
Criteria to take into account when choosing a backpack
It is recommended that the backpack carry padded straps and as wide as possiblewhich has a metal structure and abdominal belt because they help to provide more stability and more evenly distribute the weight throughout the body and avoid postural adaptations that generate changes in the center of gravity and the dynamics of walking.
The backpacks with multiple compartments can also help distribute weight more evenly and not overload one shoulder more than the other. For example, the biggest and heaviest things have to go in the rear compartment near the back.
How to distribute school supplies?
The heavier school supplies should be supported on their backsthose of medium weight should be placed at the bottom of the backpack and the lighter ones should be placed at shoulder height.
These recommendations will help prevent in children and adolescents future back pain, shortening of the hamstring musclesrectification of spinal curves or spinal deviation (scoliosis) and favoring health conditions for better school learning.
