Students’ heavy backpacks can lead to pain and ruin posture

Sophomore Jack Katzman weighs 120 pounds. Every day he carries a backpack filled with textbooks, notebooks, a binder and an eight pound laptop. Along with Katzman, most students carry heavy backpacks filled with school supplies, and overtime this weight can add up, straining muscles and joints and negatively affecting peoples’ backs.

Although backpacks seem like the perfect solution to carry what would be impossible to do by hand, they have many significant flaws that lots of people experience.

Local chiropractor Jeremiah Tibitts talks about the negative effects of daily backpack use, along with ways to mitigate them. When a heavy backpack filled with school supplies sits on someone’s shoulders, their “body tends to slouch forward to compensate for the balance indifference,” Tibbits said.

If that happens repeatedly it can break down the spine, which can also lead to the development of poor posture. This often leads to back pain that students commonly experience, without being sure of the cause. Sophomore Bea Buckley is most likely affected by this.

“My back hurts everyday and I think it’s due to my backpack,” Buckley said. Heavy backpacks can even cause non-back related injuries. Junior Yasmin Solis-Calderon goes to physical therapy, where she was told that the repeated motion of lifting up her backpack gave her tennis elbow. After that, “I couldn’t pick up my backpack with my dominant hand because it hurt,” Solis-Calderon said.

Even while carrying a backpack daily, there are ways to decrease the risk of possible injuries. Although appearing cool may be an important factor to some, carrying backpacks over one shoulder is not worth the increased risk of injury. Students who only use one strap are at a greater risk by having all the weight on one shoulder as opposed to balancing it across both.

Even with the weight evenly distributed across both shoulders and back, Tibbitts advised the recommended weight for backpacks to be no more than 10-15 percent of the persons body weight. Whether knowing of the risks, or simply not wanting to lug around a heavy backpack the whole day, some student choose to take their own precautions.

“I try to keep my backpack as light as possible,” junior Justin Ting said. In doing so, Tibbits suggested to filter through by leaving unnecessary things at home or in their locker, or to buy heavy textbooks online. He advised that after narrowing it down to the bare essentials, to pack the heaviest items closest to the back, which puts less weight on the shoulders.

Tibbits also explained how the backpack should rest in the center of the back and not sag because that also puts more weight on the shoulders. It’s good to have a backpack that transfers weight from the shoulders to hips, and its ideal to have a backpack with a waistband or a hard structured frame.

Although carrying a backpack is unavoidable, hopefully by following these steps it is possible to avoid potential back, shoulder and neck pain and keep a straight and healthy posture.

By: Leah Bell