UNICENTRO 2020

Some Schooling on Backpacks

Dr. Ian K. Smith

Doctors are concerned that looking cool could be hurting kids.

Here are some ideas to avoid injury.

    Like many kids now heading back to school, I used
one of those fashionable single-strap, over-the-shoulder
bags to carry my books around when I was studying in
New York City. But at Dartmouth Medical School, my
[5] city bag turned out to be totally inadequate for lugging
heavy medical texts. I’d lose valuable minutes at the
start of a lecture rubbing an aching arm and shoulder
before I could start writing down what the prof said.
Taking a cue from classmates, I finally got a large, wide

[10] strapped bag with a third strap that wrapped around
the hips. It wasn’t chic but it did wonders for my sore
muscles — and note taking.
    That was a first-hand lesson in how the wrong
backpack, or carrying one improperly, can lead to
[15] serious problems. According to the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission, 5,900 kids were treated
at hospital emergency rooms, clinics and doctors’
offices last year for sprains and strains directly caused
by backpacks. Indeed, such injuries are so widespread
[20] that more than 70% of physicians surveyed by the
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons listed
backpacks as a potential clinical problem for children,
and 58% said they had treated patients for pain caused
by heavy backpacks.
[25]     How to avoid such problems? Like my classmates,
you can choose bags that have wide, padded straps
and a belt. That will help transfer some of the weight
from the back and shoulders to the hips. You should also
tighten both straps firmly, so the pack rests about 5 cm above
[30] your waist. Also, remember to pack your bag with
the heaviest items closest to your back and to bend
both knees when you pick it up.

Have a question? You can e-mail Dr. Ian at ianmedical@aol.com.

Backpacs” (title) - a large bag carried on the back.
“strap” (l. 2) - a strip of leather, cloth or other flexible material.
“lugging” (l. 5) - carrying something with great effort.
“prof” (l. 8) - professor.
“sprains” (l. 18) - injuries.
“strains” (l. 18) - severe demands on physical strengh.