Is Your Child's Backpack Too Heavy?

As the weather begins to change and children begin walking to school again, we wanted to take a look at an article that was recently published in the pediatric physical therapy journal. The study looked at the effects of carrying a backpack with a load of up to 20% of a child's body weight on their posture and subjective complaints of pain.
The study examined the effects of carrying a backpack containing a load equivalent to 10%, 15% or 20% of a child's body weight in children between the ages of 8 and 11 years. Children's posture, including how far forward their head was positioned, how tilted forward their pelvis was, and how far forward they learned at their trunk was measured. These postural changes have previously been observed in children wearing backpacks as a way to maintain an upright posture and counter-act the weight of the load on their back. Their pain level after walking for 6 minutes with the loaded backpack was also recorded.
The researchers in this study found significant changes in children's posture were observed when wearing backpacks with loads of 10%, 15% and 20% of their body weight. Upon initially placing the backpack on, children demonstrated an increase in forward head posturing, an increase in forward trunk lean and an increased tilt of their pelvis forwards. These postural changes were further increased after walking for 6 minutes. Increased pain in the neck and shoulders was also reported.
Based on the results of this study, researchers recommended limiting the weight of a child's backpack to less than 10% of the child's weight, to help limit the postural compensations and complaints of pain. The postural changes noted, including a forward head, forward trunk and increased pelvic tilt, can be linked to increased spinal forces, tension and fatigue.
It is important to note that this study was completed with healthy school-aged children, and that children with special needs were excluded from the study. As a result, caution should be used when generalizing these results to children with movement difficulties. Based on a child's presentation and ambulation skills, a backpack may not be the best choice.
Take Home Message: It is important to monitor the weight of you child's backpack to ensure that they are not carrying too heavy of a load. Increased backpack weights have shown to cause postural changes in the head, trunk and pelvis, which put increased forces and tension through the spine. Researchers recommend limiting the load to less than 10% of a child's body weight. If your child has complained of pain while carrying his/her backpack or if postural changes are noted, it may be beneficial to lighten their load!
Kistner F, Fiebert I, Roach K, Moore J. Postural compensations and subjective complaints due to backpack loads and wear time in schoolchildren. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2013;25(1): 15-24.