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Backpacks still causing health problems

Rehab Private Practice Alert, September 7, 2005

It's back-to-school time again for children all over the country, which means it's back ache time for many of these students, according to a study by a physical therapist in Andover, MA, reported by the Gannett News Service.

Mary Ann Wilmarth, the director of a transitional physical therapy degree program at Northeastern University in Boston, found preadolescents are at a high risk for back injuries due to carrying overloaded backpacks. Her study showed that girls are more at risk than boys, and students not active in sports or other physical activities are also more at risk because they have weaker abdominal muscles.

Heavy backpacks can cause improper alignment of the spine, strain and fatigue of muscles and soft tissues in the neck, shoulders, and back, and can increase the risk of scoliosis.

Occupational therapists and physical therapists should recommend to their patients that students carry as little as possible in their backpacks, taking out anything that is not essential for that day.

Backpacks should not weigh anywhere close to the 25 pounds that many children carry around with them, and schools and parents should find ways to lighten the load whenever possible.

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