The Correlation Between Heavy Backpack And Children’s Health

We often see small kids carrying heavy backpacks on their way to the schools. The competition in the education sector is very tough nowadays and the school authorities have successfully instilled the feeling of contest and race in the minds of the parents. As a result, parents as well as teachers keep pressurizing children to strive for good grades. And the pressure is easily visible from the heavy backpacks that the tender-aged children carry with them to the classrooms. In the process we often forget the truth that heavy backpacks can affect a child’s health to a great extent. According to American Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 14000 children suffer different types of injuries every year because of carrying heavy backpacks.

How much should your backpack weigh? As far as the weight limit of a backpack for the children is concerned, the American Academy of Child has suggested carrying 10-15% of the body weight. For example – if your child weighs 40 kg, he/she can carry up to 4-5 kg. The High Court, in one of its directives, said that the primary school students cannot be forced to carry schoolbags that weigh more than 10% of their body weight. Responding to a writ petition about overweight school bags by three Supreme Court lawyers Masud Hossain Dolon, Mohammad Ziaul Haq and Anwarul Karim, the HC had given the direction on December 7, 2016, and asked the government to formulate necessary laws in this regard.

Health impacts of heavy backpack
There are so many negative impacts of carrying heavy backpack. Some of those are:
1) The muscles may go into spasm or get tight for carrying heavy backpack on the shoulder for a long time. As a result, different types of pain (shoulder pain, neck pain, back pain, knee pain and headache) occur as the blood circulation is obstructed.
2) Carrying heavy backpack on one side of the shoulder for prolonged period may affect the spine of the child. 3) A child’s neck and head bend forward and he looks shorter than as usual and it affects his posture as well.
4) Besides, internal organs may also be affected due to heavy backpack.

Treatment for the pain
All children are requested to get a proper diagnosis for heavy backpack related pain. After obtaining the diagnosis a guardian can consult a physiotherapy specialist for better treatment. A physiotherapist can follow necessary treatment. He/she can go for manual therapy - apply ice compression in the muscles of shoulder and neck for 10-15 minutes twice a day. As per the instruction of the physiotherapy specialist various types of exercises and massage therapy can also be adapted. Meanwhile electrotherapy (IRR, TENS, UST) is very much effective for relieving pain and muscle spasm as well.

Responsibilities of the school authorities and the guardians
The school authorities should play the main role in this regard. They should encourage the students to bring only the textbooks in the classrooms. Some note books can be kept in the school library. School authorities can also provide safe water for all so that students don’t need to carry their water bottle. In the meantime, guardians should act more sensibly and stop forcing their kids to carry extra books. Meanwhile they should provide a very healthy diet to their children so that they get stronger.