Children Carrying Heavy Backpacks Risk Poor Posture, Injury

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 25 May 2005 - 12:00 PDT

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Overloaded backpacks carried by children compromise their posture and may lead to future injuries of the spine, according to researchers who studied the effects of fatigue and load on posture of eight to nine year-old children carrying backpacks.

Although experts have previously suggested limiting backpack loads to 10 percent of a child's bodyweight, there is little published research that indicates what weights may compromise posture and gait in children. Because nearly 25 percent of young students carry packs weighing more than 20 percent of their bodyweight on a daily basis, and more than 6,000 children were seen in emergency rooms in 2001 for injuries related to carrying a backpack, researchers continue to investigate the effects of heavy packs on children. For the first time, researchers examined how quickly children fatigue when walking with weighted packs. They found that children, unlike adults, do not adjust their stride when tired, but compensate for disproportionate backpack weight with a dramatic drop forward in their head and uneven posture, a stress on the body that may have immediate effects on posture and if ignored, eventually lead to long-term damage of the spine.

The study involved children walking 600 meters around a 400-meter track on three separate occasions: without a backpack, then with a 9 lb., and again with a 13.2 lb. load of books. Children were observed and filmed rested and again when fatigued. Significant differences were found in head flexion between the control and loaded conditions, as well as between the 9 lb. and 13.2 lb. load and the rested and fatigued conditions. These data show young children should be encouraged to limit the weight in their backpacks to less than 9 lbs. to reduce changes in posture.

"Several spot checks have shown kids carry loads between 25 and 30 lbs. in their backpacks, and whether it's legitimate school work or 'junk,' as it is in some cases, it's too much weight for their small frames. When linked with our data that shows how posture and balance are negatively affected by this weight, parents should be alerted to overloaded packs," said Heidi Orloff, Ph.D.

Researchers say future studies will examine the link between strength and a child's ability to carry heavy packs, as well as how the position of a bag may determine how compromised posture may become.

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The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 International, National, and Regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life.

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