Decorah nurse weighs in on student's overloaded backpacks

Gundersen Lutheran – Decorah Clinic registered nurse Mary Payne says more than half of kids heading to classes with a backpack may be carrying too much weight.

"Children carrying overloaded backpacks and improperly worn packs are more likely to experience neck, shoulder and back pain," she cautions.  "Backpacks packed too full cause children to lean forward trying to lessen the strain on their lower backs," says Payne, who urges parents to stress to their children the importance of making trips to their lockers to lighten their load.
 
How much weight is too much weight?  According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, a child should never carry more than 15 percent of his or her body weight.  For example, a child who weighs 100 pounds shouldn't carry a loaded school backpack heavier than 15 pounds.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates more than 7,000 emergency room visits each year are a result of injuries related to backpacks and book bags—about half of those occurred among children between the ages of 5 and 14.
 
"A backpack should be worn over both shoulders to keep the child from leaning to one side," explains Payne. "Wearing it over one shoulder creates imbalances and strains muscles trying to compensate for the weight."

She also has a few other guidelines to help keep a child's back healthy and strong:
--Pack heaviest objects first to be carried lowest and closest to the back.
--Use all the compartments to evenly distribute the weight.
--Pack only what is necessary.
--Utilize the pack's waist-belt.
--Adjust the straps to fit the pack snugly to child's body, keeping bottom of pack two inches above waist.