Local chiropractors in San Diego are saying that there is an increasing number of evidence suggesting that carrying heavy backpacks may lead to low back pain in children and adolescents. The exact reason for this remains unclear. Some scientists have theorized that a backpack filled with books, supplies and other school supplies places an immense amount of stress on a child’s spine. This results in sporadic, sometimes forceful pain. Few studies, however, have examined the way children sport backpacks and what effect carrying a pack in an irregular fashion can have on a child’s spinal column.

In a cross-sectional study, investigators in Greece examined 1,252 children ages 12 to 18 who used backpacks at school. Each child was asked a series of questions about back pain while carrying their backpack to and from school and during holiday periods, along with questions about participation in sports, how they traveled to/from school, and the amount of time it took them to travel from home to school and back. In addition, the children were asked whether they carried their backpacks with one strap over one shoulder (asymmetrically) or straps over both shoulders (symmetrically), and why they carried their backpacks a particular way. Finally, the students were subjected to a series of spinal measurements both without their backpacks and while wearing their backpacks symmetrically or asymmetrically.

The study had some shocking results. The following are just some of the findings. On average, girls were 5.6 times more likely to report suffering from dorsal pain than boys during the school period. No association between gender and low back pain was noted. Symmetrical backpack carrying caused a forward lean in the upper trunk of students and decreased cervical lordosis. Asymmetrical backpack carrying, meanwhile, resulted in students raising the backpack-bearing shoulder and shifting the upper trunk contralaterally. Students who carried backpacks asymmetrically were 2.9 times more likely to suffer from dorsal pain, and five times as likely to suffer from low back pain, as students who wore backpacks symmetrically. Students who carried backpacks asymmetrically were more than four times as likely to suffer from high-intensity pain than students who carried backpacks symmetrically.

There was a significant correlation between time spent to school and back pain during holiday periods. This occurred even though there was no association between times spent carrying backpacks and back pain during the school period. The authors attributed this to a possible delayed response to the stresses and strains applied to the spine during school.

Even though the incidence of low back pain in schoolchildren varies from country to country, several studies have exemplified that it can range from twenty percent to more than fifty percent in some populations. Other studies have also shown that back pain at an early age may contribute to an individual experiencing pain later on in life as an adult. As a result of the findings, the importance of proper backpack use, especially among school children, should not be underestimated in its regard.

New Century Spine Centers in San Diego offers free spinal screenings for children by their chiropractors. The chiropractic program in San Diego is geared toward helping children and adults live a pain free life with natural chiropractic care. If you want your child evaluated for backpack safety or scoliosis, call New Century Spine Centers in San Diego at 619-630-9153 and ask for an evaluation.

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