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Kids, Backpacks, and Back Pain

Parents, teachers, and doctors around the world are increasingly concerned about children carrying heavy backpacks. Does this practice cause back pain? Is it damaging to the growing spine or soft tissues around the spine? This is the focus of a large study in Greece of 3,441 children and teens ages nine through 15.

Researchers looked at the effect of heavy backpacks on both back pain and increased spinal curves. Students' gender, age, and height and weight were matched against spinal curves and back pain. The way they carried the backpacks (over one or both shoulders) was also recorded. Here's what the researchers found:

  • It doesn't seem to matter whether the backpack is carried on one or two shoulders.
  • Girls are more likely to have back pain than boys, and at an earlier age.
  • Back pain from carrying backpacks occurs most often right before and after puberty begins.
  • Short children are more prone to low back pain when carrying the same weight as tall children of the same age.
  • Girls in sports have more low back pain than girls who aren't in sports.
  • Children (ages nine to 11) and teens (ages 12 to 15) have about the same amount of back pain.
  • Students with increased spinal curves don't have more back pain when carrying a heavy back pain compared to students with decreased spinal curves.

    The authors reject the idea that carrying a heavy backpack over one shoulder causes more pain than carrying it over both shoulders. The results of this study link age and gender more closely to back pain. Girls near or at puberty are at greatest risk for back pain from carrying a heavy backpack. Therefore they should carry light backpacks. Short children should also carry lighter packs than tall children of the same age.

    • Reference: 

    Panagiotis Korovessis, MD, PhD, et al. Correlation between Backpack Weight and Way of Carrying, Sagittal and Front Spinal Curves, Athletic Ability, and Dorsal and Low Back Pain in Schoolchildren and Adolescents. In Journal of Spinal Disorders. February 2004. Vol. 17. No. 1. pp. 33-40.

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