Your Child’s Bag may be Damaging her Spine

Who will it be this year – Doraemon, Chotaa Bheem, the Frozen princess or SpiderMan? Who will your child pick to sit proudly on their backpacks this new school year? Before you let a cartoon character decide on your child’s bone health, think of this – Is your child’s bag damaging his or her spine?

Long Lasting Consequences:

At Agashe Paediatric SuperSpeciality Care, we are seeing an increasing number of children who complain of low back pain, neck pain and shoulder pain because of bags that are too heavy or carried incorrectly. Carrying heavy bags for longer durations causes the centre of gravity to shift forward. To compensate, your child bends forward resulting in a poor posture. Our kids’ bodies are still developing and hence are more elastic than ours. This means that they can take greater strain without immediately feeling the consequences of this bad posture. Many of them may carry the effect of this load on their spine right into their adulthood.

What happens to your child’s spine:

Studies have shown that heavier a backpack, the more the natural inward curve of the lower back is reduced. A forward bent spine means that a greater force is applied on to the lower back.  Asymmetric loading of the disc between two vertebrae (bones that make up our spine) can lead to degenerative changes in the spine.

Similarly, carrying backpacks on one shoulder can cause reduced outward curvature of the upper spine. Neck and shoulder pain occurs when your child shifts his weight on one side to compensate for the uneven weight.

Lastly, bags with extra tight, narrow shoulder straps can affect circulation and cause pressure on the nerves. This can lead to tingling, numbness and weakness of the arms.

How to pick the right backpack:

So while your son / daughter ticks off their checklist of which cartoon character is cooler this season, here’s your own little mental checklist:

  • Pick a bag that is lightweight. It is recommended that the child’s backpack should not weigh more than 10-15% of his / her total weight.
  • The bag should have wide, padded shoulder straps. A waist belt helps to distribute the weight more evenly.
  • Ensure that the backpack does not sag below your child’s buttocks. It should fit in nicely with the lower back’s hollow contour.
  • Multiple compartments will help distribute the load better.

How to wear the backpack correctly:

So you’ve managed to convince your child to pick comfort and safety over good looks. That’s half the job done. Now ensure that your child uses his backpack properly too!

  • Ensure that your child uses both the shoulder straps of the bag. Evenly tighten the straps so that the bag is closer to the back.
  • Try to place the heavier books at the base and closer to the centre of the bag so that they are closer to the spine.
  • Teach your child to lift her bag the right way – by bending at her knees rather than at the waist and using both hands.
  • Ensure that your child does not carry unnecessary books. We once had a child at Agashe Hospital who whispered a confession that he carried all his books every day to avoid packing and unpacking his bag!

The larger picture:

In 2015, the Maharashtra Government issued a circular to all schools under the Bombay High Court’s directive on limiting the weight of students’ bags. According to a panel’s report, our students were carrying bags that are 20-30% heavier than what they should be. Due to this, a whopping 60% of kids below the age of 10 were found to be suffering from orthopaedic and stress related problems. While solutions like tablets, mandatory lockers and splitting textbooks are being considered by the government, we as parents can ensure that we do our bit in easing the burdens of our little ones’ backs.

If your child often complains of back pain, do visit your nearest paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. If you’re in Mumbai, you can visit Dr. Mandar Agashe, Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at Agashe Paediatric SuperSpecciality Care in Kurla. Dr. Agashe will help identify any existing damage to your child’s spine because of heavy backpacks. Click here to get in touch with Dr. Agashe today.