“Pack it light, wear it right.” That’s the message Northside occupational therapists are sending to students to help prevent back, neck, and shoulder injuries.
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, thousands of emergency room visits each year are related to
student backpack injuries.
“It’s a concern that everyone should think about,” said Heidi Schoenfeld, Coordinator of the NISD Occupational, Physical & Music Therapy Program. “Students need to think about how heavy their backpacks are and whether they’re carrying them properly.”
Backpacks should weigh no more than 15 percent of a student’s body weight, Schoenfeld said, so for example, if a student weighs 100 pounds, the backpack should weigh no more than 15 pounds.
In addition, backpacks should be worn over both shoulders, and the bottom of the backpack should never rest more than four inches below a child’s waistline.
About 160 students at Jefferson Middle School now know the
dos and dont's of backpack safety, thanks to their participation in a backpack check at their campus earlier this month. In honor of National School Backpack Awareness Day on Sept. 17, NISD occupational therapists weighed backpacks and discussed with students how to properly wear and fill backpacks for safe weight distribution.
Most of the backpacks checked at Jefferson were in the safe weight range, but many students were carrying them improperly, Schoenfeld said.
As she waited in line, seventh grader Shannon Moore said she carries an instrument, book, binder, planner, and spiral notebook in her backpack.
“It’s only heavy when I walk upstairs,” she said. “I think it’s okay.”
Shannon learned her backpack was safe but close to the danger zone.
“You’re really close to the 15 percent limit,” Krista Boezinger, occupational therapist, told her. “It’s really important to unload some of your stuff and carry it in front of you.”
Parents who are concerned about whether their child’s backpack is safe can weigh the backpack themselves or call their child’s school and ask to speak with an occupational therapist.
“If their child is having neck, back, or shoulder pain, they may want to consider the backpack as a source and have it checked out,” Schoenfeld said.
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