Backpack Safety

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Backpack Safety

• Brought to you by
• Joe Family Chiropractic

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Overview

• Purpose
• An 8 minute video on backpack safety
• A demonstration with skeletal models, that show
  what can happen to your spine if it is not taken
  care of
• A discussion of ways to prevent backpack injury
• A demonstration with a student on how to carry a
  backpack correctly
• Questions and Answers

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Purpose

• To educate about the health issues of carrying
  too heavy backpacks improperly, demonstrate what
  happens to the back if it is injured or strained
  and show how to properly wear a backpack

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Facts Abut Backpack Injury

• Heavy backpacks have a destructive impact on the
  posture and spinal health of children
• Todays heavy loads are causing injuries that can
  last a lifetime
• 55 of students carry more than the recommended
  national guidelines of 10-15 of body weight
  (Simmons College, April, 2001)
• The average student has a Visual Analog Scale
  (VAS) for pain of 5.8 (Northeastern University)

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Facts Abut Backpack Injury

• The study further showed that a good way to
  prevent this injury was with AIRPACKS backpack.
  Specifically, the average student wearing
  AIRPACKS backpack had a 50 reduction in pain as
  compared to the control group and had an average
  VAS score of 1.8

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Facts Abut Backpack Injury

• 66 of school nurses reported seeing students
  with pain or injury attributed to carrying
  backpacks (AIRPACKS survey, 2000)
• Up to 60 of children will experience back pain
  by the time they reach 18 years of age
  (University of Michigan)

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Facts Abut Backpack Injury

• National Public Radio reported that 65 of
  adolescents visits to doctors are for backpack
  related injuries (October, 1998)
• The American Academy of Orthopedics stated that
  backpack injury is a significant problem for
  children

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How much weight?

• Users Weight
• 50 lbs
• 80 lbs
• 100 lbs
• 130 lbs

• Backpack Weight
• 7.5 lbs
• 12 lbs
• 15 lbs
• 19.5 lbs

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What most carry

• Many children, teens and adults are carrying up
  to 40 lbs and are potentially injuring themselves

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Common Problems

• Neck pain
• Upper back pain
• Mid back pain
• Lower back pain
• Subluxations
• Arm numbness
• Hand numbness
• Shoulder pain

• Fatigue from heavy loads
• Headaches from upper back and neck tension
• Potential life long damage

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Extreme Problems

• Excess weight on a spine that is growing and
  developing can create injuries that will heal in
  wrong and as the child goes through growth
  spurts, will grow wrong, and weaken the spine

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Extreme Problems

• Postural Distortions
• Abnormal Gait
• Disc weakening (herniation)
• Osteoarthritis
• What will the long term effects be?

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To prevent injury

• When picking up the pack face the backpack first
• Bend at the knees and lift with your legs not
  your back
• Keep the pack close to your body
• Carry ONLY what you need. Every extra item adds
  weight!

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Wear a backpack properly

• Distribute the weight properly.
• Put the heavier items on the bottom and
  against the back to keep the weight off your
  shoulders and maintain better posture
• Wear BOTH shoulder straps unless your pack is
  designed for use on one shoulder. Carrying a
  heavy backpack using one strap can shift the
  wieght to one side, which can lead to neck and
  muscle spasms, low back pain and walking
  improperly.

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Wear a backpack properly

• Choose a backpack with thickly padded shoulder
  straps. Non-padded straps dig into the shoulders
  causing pain due to compressional loading of the
  acromio-clavicular joint and stress on the
  trapezius muscles.

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Wear a backpack properly

• Choose a backpack with a lumbar support. The
  lumbar cushion will redistribute weight to the
  lower extremities, creating a fulcrum that
  facilitates an upright standing position and good
  posture that is essential for proper spinal
  hygiene.

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Wear a backpack properly

• Use an ergonomic backpack. Shift the weight off
  the shoulders, neck and upper back to the lower
  back. This will prevent injury and is more
  comfortable.

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Wear a backpack properly

• Use an ergonomic backpack. Shift the weight off
  the shoulders, neck and upper back to the lower
  back. This will prevent injury and is more
  comfortable.

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Chiropractic Care

• Unfortunately, because of the drug problem in
  schools kids do not have a locker and are
  carrying more and more books.
• From the embrological stage in our mothers womb
  our organ development stems from the spine and
  nervous system. The value of having the spine
  nervous system checked regularly by a
  chiropractor is to enable the spine and organs
  of the body to heal right grow right through
  back pack stress and the rigorous postural stress
  of being a student.
• Joe Family Chiropractic wishes you your best
  school year ever.