Now that school is back in session for most families across North America new research reveals how 30 minutes after a person takes off a backpack, some of the negative effects on the spine are still present, suggesting a possible reason for backpack-associated persistent neck and back pain, says a team led by Daniel Hung-Kay Chow of Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The study of 13 adults, who walked with—and then without—backpacks that were just 10% of their body weights, showed that the backpack-caused forward curvature of the participants' cervical spines hadn't fully recovered a half-hour after the backpacks were removed.
The recommended backpack weight however is no more than 15% of one’s body weight especially in school aged children. In fact, the effects of backpack carriage of just 10% body weight for 30 min on the spine could not be fully restored after 30-min of unloaded walking. The persistent changes in both spinal curvature and repositioning ability revealed an increased risk of spinal injury even after the backpack was removed. The take-away-lesson here is to offer proper postural reminders to backpack users in order to alleviate the adverse effects induced after prolonged backpack carriage.
From my own experience, and what I recommend is: 1. A backpack or book bag should be carried on both shoulders, not slung over just one. 2. The shoulder straps should be adjusted properly so that the person wearing it can easily put either hand in their rear pocket. 3. The bottom of the backpack should be above the belt-line or waist, and never below the sacro-ilio-lumbar junction.
Sources: Carry-over effects of backpack carriage on trunk posture and repositioning ability
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics
Volume 41, Issue 5, September 2011, Pages 530-535
Lewis Meltz, DC, DABCO
Chiropractic Orthopedic Group
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
