Backpack Safety

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Backpack Safety

Jacob Brenner, DPT • August 20, 2021

New School Year, Are You Ready?

Backpacks can be a great tool for carrying items to and from school, but they also have the potential to cause injury. Areas at risk for injury are the neck, shoulders, and back. By understanding how to choose a backpack and how to wear it properly we can decrease our risk of injury!

When choosing a backpack, look for one with wide padded shoulder straps. This helps distribute weight evenly across the shoulders, unlike narrow straps focus weight onto a smaller area which can increase the likelihood of causing injury. An example of a backpack with narrow straps are sack-packs.

Placing heavier objects closer to the body can also assist to decrease chance for injury. The farther away the weight is positioned from the body, the more the body must work to keep up right. An example of this could be having textbooks being closest to the back and having an extra pair of socks farther from the back.

Another idea is to try to pack light. This can be done by getting homework done at school, so books do not need to be taken home. If just certain pages of a book are needed, the student can take pictures of the pages needed on their phone instead of bringing the entire book to and from school. My personal favorite way to pack light is to ask the teacher for no homework, you know not because you don’t want to do homework, but to protect your shoulders and back 😉

The backpack can be a great tool for carrying items to and from school, but it also has the potential to cause injury. By understanding how you can choose a backpack that is right for your child's needs, and how they should wear it properly we can decrease their risk of injury! Consider these tips when looking into purchasing a new backpack this school year.

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