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Backpack Safety: an Oxymoron As backpack use for school has become widespread, numerous articles and programs have offered instruction and guidelines in "backpack safety". Nevertheless, the incidence of backpack-related pain and injury continues to rise and has reached epidemic proportions. Additionally, what we see is probably just the tip of this iceberg, as kids underreport pain, and many parents discount the pain reports they do get, because "they are young" and they see no alternative. It is becoming apparent that the term "backpack safety" is an oxymoron. Backpacks are off-axis, posterior loading systems which cause the body to compensate with postural distortion. The postural distortion will continue unless the load is aligned with the body's axis, in obedience to the laws of physics and physiology. It is this postural distortion as well as the posterior protrusion of the backpack, not the magnitude of the imposed load, which are chiefly responsible for the pain and injuries. Since postural distortion, not the magnitude of the load, is the chief disabling factor, switching to a rolling backpack is a short-term remedy, but not a solution. A rolling backpack provides no postural training - the mechanism is actually heavier and more awkward when carrying is required (busses, stairs, irregular surfaces), and unloading the body is not necessarily a healthy alternative for developing bones. Only during the growth period can bones build density. This also requires adequate daily muscle/bone resistance. Our young people are getting less and less activity. Carrying their books may be their only opportunity for adequate exercise to increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis, the leading cause of fractures in adults, and increasingly seen in children. The safety hazards inherent in the design of the backpack, originally intended for mountain recreation, not as a school bag or everyday bag - compelled me to design a healthy alternative for school or everyday use: the BackTpack. SAFETY CONCERNS with use of a conventional backpack:
It is a neuromuscular training fact that when resistance is applied against a given direction of movement, that movement is strengthened and trained.
The only way to correct the habitual postural distortion trained by a posterior loading system is to apply the load on the axis instead of the back. If we apply these clinically sound principles to the everyday loading system of students, we will train their lifelong postural habits for musculoskeletal health. SOLUTIONS FOR SAFETY that the BackTpack offers:
Based on 30 years of evidence, backpacks continue to cause postural distortion, pain and injury when used as a daily school bag in spite of "backpack safety" programs and guidelines. Conversely, a 2004 study with Nestucca Valley Middle School students (http://www.backtpack.com/btp_study.htm) has shown that using BackTpack as a school bag effectively addresses the issues contributing to such problems. Testimonial evidence from subsequent users confirms this finding. If students insist on using their backpacks for school, they and their parents must be made aware of the long term physiological effects and how best to mitigate them with appropriate exercises, training in posture and body mechanics, and to be informed of healthy alternatives for carrying their supplies. Medical professionals can do their part in combating this epidemic by informing the public about these safety issues and about what makes a healthy choice when investing in their child's school bag.
Marilyn Miller von Foerster PT, MA |
Solution to back pain while carrying backpacks is the BackTpack which is an ergonomic backpack that reduces pain, trains posture and encourages a healthy lifestyle.
