About the Designer

The Design Team

BackTpack was developed by Marilyn Miller von Foerster with help from her husband Andreas and son Nicholas.

Marilyn is an Oregon physical therapist who has dedicated over 35 years of practice to helping people with back problems. She received degrees from the University of Oregon, Duke University School of Physical Therapy and San Francisco State University. She has conducted pioneering research in abdominal muscle coordination training. Coupled with her research, she developed a unique and highly effective method of teaching back health skills based on proper posture and movement habits within her patients’ home and work environments.

Marilyn also works with physical educators and has been a visiting lecturer at Stanford University and Pacific University Schools of Physical Therapy. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, World Confederation of Physical Therapy, American Association of Health Physical Education Recreation and Dance, and the Healthy Kids Learn Better Coalition.

Through her clinical experience she has seen that back health is a function of correct movement and postural habits. Teaching correct habits is the foundation of her therapeautic and preventive approach. Why get treatment and return to the habit that caused the problem?

As part of her commitment to eliminate the life limiting epidemic of back disability, she began advising school districts on furniture selection and backpack use and alternatives. In 2001, her back health and school chair project with local fifth graders was shown on FOX49 News in Portland, Oregon. When her son Nicholas started middle school she became aware of the widespread use of backpacks with the dreadful postures and associated pain. The need for students to have a carrying system that loads the body in correct posture without pain, and the absence of such a product on the market, compelled the creation of BackTpack.

Having observed that backpacks appear to cause poor posture and pain, she felt a moral and professional responsibility to redesign the school bag to actually train correct posture and mechanics. Since posture training is lacking in most physical education and athletic programs, and so many students are inactive, the BackTpack is a tool to teach essentials of back health habits beginning with posture.

Nicholas, now 17, made the choices when in middle school of what accessories were important to students and where to place pockets and other features of the BackTpack. Nicholas is a is an honor student, a multi-sport athlete, and interested in studying film and movement sciences in college.

Marilyn’s husband, Andreas, is and architect. Andreas, a native of Germany and graduate of the University of Illinois School of Architecture, assisted with drawings and design suggestions, business structure, and patent work.

Both Andreas and Nicholas participate with Marilyn in trade shows. They are the support system of BackTpack. Nicholas is a technology expert, and will be sorely missed when he is off to college next year!