Carrying-backpacks have become a common sight in many school campuses due their convenient transportation of supplies and textbooks. This popular item, however, was found to have serious consequences on students as they gained a higher risk of spinal injury and pain with increasingly heavier loads. Hospitals and clinics receive around 14,000 backpack-related spinal injuries every year and this situation seems to grow worse as researchers find some of the more extensive effects heavy backpacks have on the entire body.
In Hong Kong, scientists tested the blood pressure, energy expenditure, and oxygen uptake of students walking across a treadmill with backpacks of various weights. They found that children who wore heavier backpacks experienced higher blood pressure compared to children with lighter backpacks. Another study published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics also revealed new insights on the matter by measuring the pressure of backpack straps on shoulders. They found that backpacks created a pressure on the shoulders that was over double the pressure within the blood vessels underneath the backpack. They theorized that this pressure contributes to the associated shoulder and back pain caused by backpacks. Future studies also reveal that heavy backpacks also impair balance in minors. In a the study, 30 preteen age girls (9-11) conducted balance tests both with and without a backpack. They found that the girls performed worse on the balance test when they wore backpack and also gained a shorter stride. The shorter stride and poorer balance was attributed to the poorer posture caused by heavy backpacks.
Heavy backpacks causes problems such as back pain, poor posture, and loss of balance.
As school starts and backpacks become heavier, following safety guidelines for backpacks becomes more essential in preventing the health problems associated with heavy backpacks. Heavy backpacks not only damage posture and cause back pain, but also changes balance and blood pressure. By following the guidelines to reduce and evenly distribute the weight of heavy backpacks, the children can experience less strain and damage from such health issues later on in life.
Feature Image Source: ebpilgri.
