Back Pack Safety How to select a backpack

Back Pack SafetyHow to select a backpack

Facts about School Back Packs

• "Of the 1,122 backpack users, 74% were classified as having back pain, validated by significantly poorer general health, more limited physical function, and more bodily pain." Sheir-Neiss GI, Kruse RW, Rahman T, et al. The association of backpack use

and back pain in adolescents. Spine, May 1, 2003;28(9):922-930.

Facts about School Back Packs• More than half of children

regularly carry more than the recommended 15% of their body weight in their school backpacks.In junior high and high school some packs can weigh as much as 20 or 25 pounds.

Facts About School Back Packs

More than 40 million students carry school backpacks.


• Some experts say backpacks should weigh no more than 10% of the weight of the child carrying it. For example, a child who weighs 80 pounds should not carry a backpack that weighs more than 8 pounds.

• This advice comes from the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics after a recent study of middle school students that found as many as 64% were already suffering from chronic back pain as a result of back packs that were just too heavy.


• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that more than 4,928 children, aged 5-14 years, were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to backpacks in 1998.

• These numbers do not include students who went to family physicians or chiropractors.


• The most common serious symptom reported from backpack use is "rucksack palsy - a form of thoracic outlet syndrome."

• This condition results when pressure put on the nerve in the shoulder causes numbness in the hands, muscle wasting, and in extreme cases, nerve damage.


• Fifty eight percent of orthopedists report treating children with back or shoulder pain attributable to carrying backpacks.

Facts about School Back Packs• These injuries are on the rise as schools

around the country, for security reasons, remove or restrict access to lockers, forcing students to rely more heavily on backpacks to carry books and personal belongings.


• We see more and more children complaining of headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, and upper back pain due to overloaded and ill-fitted backpacks.

• The body has to compensate for the change in its center of gravity caused by the backpack's added weight.

• The spine in particular can be affected as it twists and bends to reposition this added backpack weight.

Steps To Prevent Backpack Related Injuries

Steps to Prevent Backpack Related Injuries

Make sure the weight of the backpack does not exceed more than 15% of the child's body weight

If the pack is causing the student to lean forward, it is too heavy. Lighten the load.

If the child has trouble picking up the backpack with one hand or is straining to

put it on, it is too heavy.

http://www.backpacksafe.com/safety.htm


Avoid using backpacks that have only one strap


Ensure that children wear both straps on their shoulders to distribute weight evenly


Face the backpack before you lift it


Bend at the knees


• Lift with your legs, not your back


Carefully put one shoulder strap on at a time. Never sling the pack onto one shoulder.

Put your backpack on by placing it on a level surface at about waist level; then slide the backpack onto both shoulders at once. Try to avoid swinging your backpack onto your back.


• Be sure to use the extra straps and belts that come with your pack

Putting On The Back Pack From The Floor

Putting On The Back Pack From A Higher Surface

Putting On The Back Pack• Be sure to use all the straps

that come with the pack


Look for signs - pain, red marks from poor straps, poor posture - indicating if a backpack fits poorly or is overloaded


A check up with a chiropractor, who is an expert in spinal biomechanics and backpack safety, is warranted if any of these signs are present


Teach the child to pack his or her backpack by evenly distributing the contents throughout the pack, or use a backpack with shelves which will evenly distribute the load

Load heaviest items closest to the child's back.


• Carry some of your heavier books in your arms, to balance the weight you are carrying.


• Clean out extra books and supplies from your backpack regularly. Don't carry more than you need.

If Your Child Complains of Pain………

• See one of the Chiropractors or other doctors at Ungerland Chiropractic for evaluation.

• Our Doctors are trained to diagnose and successfully treat back pack injuries.

Steps to a Healthy Back Pack Experience

Step 1: Choose

Right.

Tip: Bring a friend to help you measure your backpack properly


Step 2: Pack Right.

Tip: If the backpack forces the wearer to move forward to carry, it's overloaded.


Step 3: Lift Right.

Tip: Don't sling the backpack onto one shoulder.


Step 4: Wear Right.

Tip: When the backpack has a waist strap, or other straps - use them.


• Adjust the shoulder straps so that the pack fits snugly to the child's back

Selecting A Back Pack

• key is to find the one that works best for your individual child and his or her needs.

http://www.qksrv.net/click-3214-10274037?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.Irvs.com%2Fimage.php%3Fitemno%3D43171%26src%3Dcj-datafeed%26subsrc%3DSearchBeat%26trisrc%3DJansport+-+Paks+%26+Briefs+Flare+%2343171

http://www.qksrv.net/click-3214-10274037?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.Irvs.com%2Fimage.php%3Fitemno%3D43151%26src%3Dcj-datafeed%26subsrc%3DSearchBeat%26trisrc%3DJansport+-+Paks+%26+Briefs+Aurora+%2343151

http://www.1800luggage.com/category-category_id/product-product_id/1835/category_id/129

Selecting A Back Pack

• Choose a back pack with well padded shoulder straps

Scientific Studies

• Air Packs

http://www.airpacks.com

RakGear

• Published in the Journal Ergonomics

• Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in shoulder, neck, and lower back comfort and overall comfort between the participants' personal packs and the experimental pack.

http://www.rakgear.com/

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Back Pack Safety How to select a backpack