Kid's Backpacks and Pain-Need We Be Concerned?

As the school year approaches, it is time to get your kid's their supplies, and this will likely include a backpack. There is a lot of information in mainstream, social, and print media about the dangers of backpacks as it relates to causing back pain in kids. However, is this really something we should be worried about? Do backpacks cause kids to have back pain?..............

 If we think of the back as fragile and something that we need to be careful about, it makes sense that wearing a backpack that doesn't fit right or weighs too much may cause pain. However, if you have read anything I have written about the back before, you will know, that although our spines can become painful, they are not fragile, they are designed to be very sturdy, and they are made to move. So maybe wearing a backpack does not contribute to back pain in kids?

In 2018, a study was conducted (and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine) to investigate whether characteristics of schoolbag use (i.e. weight, duration of use, bag design, method of carrying, and perceived exertion) are risk factors for back pain in children and adolescents. 

Based on the evidence from studies which included 1,851 children and adolescents and more than 60 studies, the authors found that schoolbag characteristics such as weight, design, and carrying method do not increase the risk of developing back pain in children in adolescents. 

Now, the results of this study do not mean that we should just carelessly load up our kid's backpacks and not worry about. Like any other activity or stress through our body, we need to load it appropriately and give the body time to adapt in order to decrease the risk of pain or injury. But, in most cases, the things our kid's carry will not push beyond what they can handle (if the size of the backpack is not like the one to the right!).

Also, it does not mean that there might not be sometimes, in some individuals, where an overly heavy backpack might play a role in back pain and that temporarily decreasing the load in the pack would help. 

What this study does mean is that we DO NOT need to be scared about having our kids carry backpacks or having weight in the backpacks. We do not want to create fear and concern out of something when there is no reason to. 

Our spine (and our kid's) is strong, able to adapt to heavier loads, and robust. 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. 

As always, thanks for reading.
​Bob