Q. As my children return to school, can you advise me on buying either shoulder school bags or pull along bags?
Queries related to schoolbags come up every year at this time. There is a real fear among parents that carrying heavy schoolbags may damage their children’s spines. European academic research investigating this issue with a view to laying down robust guidelines, report several confounding factors. Some relate to the fact that within a single class of 8 or 17 year olds, there are huge differences in physical characteristics, distances over which the bag is carried and also resistance from children to take advice, as it is often ‘not cool’.
While pull along bags appear a good solution to bring a heavy load of books to school, they are not ideal in every circumstance. Often small children’s pull along bags are light and relatively unstable, so they turn over going over bumps. This can pull or tweak the pulling arm, casing wrist, shoulder and even neck symptoms.
Over the shoulder backpacks are more commonly used. These should be worn over both shoulders, with straps pulled tight so that the bag rests against the spine. If the straps are left long, the bag hangs away from the spine, resting on the top of the pelvis rather than being carried along the spine. This places increased strain on spinal back muscles.
A one shoulder satchel bag is another option. This type of bag, often used by college students, is fine where the number of books is small and where the bag is carried diagonally across the body rather than dangling from one shoulder.
In all cases, pack the bag so that the largest, heaviest books lie against the rear of the bag and then graduate forward until the smallest, lightest books lie at the front. Even though the total weight of the schoolbag is the same whichever way you pack the bag, the actual position of the books within the bag significantly alters the loading of weight on back muscles. Stacking them largest and heaviest close to the spine allows the body to carry the load most efficiently.
Irrespective of bag type, encourage upright spinal posture with shoulders level when carrying the schoolbag. |
