CAMP HILL, Pa. — Get those books, pens and pencils ready. It's almost time to head back to school—just be sure not to overload that backpack.
“Children that have backpacks that are too heavy can definitely cause back pain for them, numbness down their arm, their neck,” said Dr. Kathleen Zimmerman, a pediatrician at UPMC Children Community Pediatrics in Camp Hill.
How heavy is too heavy? Dr. Zimmerman says there is a formula to help.
“If you weigh the backpack with all the items in there, it should not be more than 15% of the child’s body weight,” she said.
The size of the backpack and how the kid wears it is also important.
“If your child smaller, you’re not gonna wanna pick the biggest backpack,” said Dr. Zimmerman. “You want it to fit basically around their shoulder, or maybe an inch below down to the waist.”
Chest and waist straps can keep the bag tight to the body and help make sure your child is wearing the bag properly.
“It should always be on both shoulders, again tightly strapped so that it’s actually touching the back and not hanging off the back; that will distribute the weight more carefully," Dr. Zimmerman said.
Backpacks with different compartments can also help distribute the weight.
It’s also important to make sure your child isn’t bringing unnecessary books and materials to and from school.
“I have seen kids come in with back pain, and a lot of times we make a couple tweaks to their backpack and it really does help,” said Dr. Zimmerman.