Back-to-school back problems: Doctors say ideal weight of school bag should not exceed 15% of student’s weight

School is back and doctors strongly advise parents to limit the weight of school bags to avoid any back problems for their children. According to Dr. Carlos Baptista, a pediatrician at Healthbay Polyclinic Dubai, the ideal weight of a loaded backpack is between 10 percent to 15 percent of the child’s body weight. Meaning, that if the child weighs 30kg, the preferable weight of the bag should not exceed 4.5kg. He added, that the backpack should be commensurate to the age group. It must be wide with padded shoulder straps. It is preferable to use a rolling backpack. “Heavy schoolbags can cause short-term and long-term injuries in children. Some injuries reported with backpack use are low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, muscle soreness, and rucksack palsy,” Baptista said. “Other problems linked with heavy backpack use include respiratory problems, winged scapula, foot blisters, tripping accidents and getting hit by the backpack,” he added. Moreover, several studies showed there is an increased risk in girls. In some studies, children with heavy bags can have a 50 percent higher risk of back pain and spine problems. Long-term, back pain in children was also identified as a strong predictor of back pain in adulthood.

Preventive exercise

Dr. Iman Alkhalili, consultant pediatrics at Al Sharq hospital Fujairah, advised: “It is strongly advised for students to perform some calisthenics or physical movements in the morning before the start of the lessons for at least five minutes to avoid back pain in the students due to carrying schoolbag. Teachers can initiate this at the beginning of each of daily lesson.” “Parents should also encourage their children to start each day with physical exercises. Carrying a heavy bag for long periods of time can cause or increase scoliosis and arching of the back. However, it has not yet been proven that the negative effect on longitudinal growth is negative,” she added. MAT/Expat Media

Helpful tips

  • Carry only necessary books.
  • Preferably, use a trolley bag instead of a backpack
  • When carrying a backpack, don’t hang it below the waist so as not to strain the shoulders
  • Check the design and ergonomics of the bag
  • Tighten the straps to keep the load closer to the back.
  • Lift correctly by bending the knees when picking up a backpack
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