Despite parents’ best efforts to protect their children from getting hurt, one of the greatest sources of potential injury which often goes unnoticed is the school backpack. According to a report in NewsWise, the school bag carried by children everyday causes pain and fatigue to as many as 50 per cent of children, Health news reported.
A study conducted by the American Physical Therapy Association has found that more than 50 per cent of children surveyed carry backpacks heavier than 15 per cent of their body weight. “Children carrying this kind of weight can develop serious back pain and other problems that can require treatment,” says Avrom Gart, Medical Director at the Cedars-Sinai Institute for Spinal Disorders. “To manage the load, children sometimes arch their backs or lean forward, causing them to develop poor posture as they grow,” says Dr Gart. Wearing a backpack on one shoulder can also cause the child to lean to one side to compensate for the extra weight, resulting in an asymmetrical spine, back pain, and a strained shoulder and neck. In severe cases, children can develop a condition called “scapular winging,” when the nerve that supplies the shoulder muscle becomes pinched, causing paralysis.
Heavy school bags could be dangerous
