another interesting article on why messenger bags are better for kid's health...

It's a pain in the back
Too much weight in backpacks can harm students' health
By Jenny Welp

It's a pain in the back
Too much weight in backpacks can harm students' health

Almost from the moment she gets up in the morning until she gets home at night, Mallory Trudell is carrying around her messenger bag.

A messenger bag looks like a soft brief case with a strap, and it can be worn across the body like a purse as an alternative to a backpack.

As a student at Morningside College, Trudell carries in her messenger bag all the books she needs for the day, a laptop computer, an MP3 player, a digital camera, a wallet with a coin purse, a checkbook and any other items she needs, such as pens, makeup or a hairbrush.

Trudell said all of last spring, she thought she had a really bad mattress, and that was why her neck was sore and her back hurt.

But Trudell said when summer came and she wasn't carrying the messenger bag, she found her back hurt a lot less. She said when she got her messenger bag back out this fall, sure enough the soreness started to return.

"Now I actually notice how uncomfortable it is to carry and how much it actually hurts," she said.

Some Siouxland health care professionals report that backpacks, bags or even purses can cause people a lot of pain, though sufferers aren't always aware of what's causing them problems.

Statistics show that more than half of all students carry more weight in their backpacks than they should and this can lead to problems with posture, said Dr. Brandee Koedam, a physical therapist with the Center for Neurosciences, Orthopaedics & Spine.

"You have to arch the back so you don't lose your balance and fall, or lean too much to the side," she said.

Koedam said posture has to do with the position of the spine, and the spine is the foundation for the body. She said if the foundation isn't in place, it leads to other problems right down the line.

The physical therapist said children should not be carrying more than 10 percent of their body weight, and should never carry more than 25 pounds. She said adults should only carry as heavy a load as they can support while maintaining good posture.

Dr. Jon Saunders, a chiropractor with the BAC Clinic of Chiropractic in Sioux City, is a parent himself. He said he sees middle school as an especially crucial time to keep children's backpack weight to a minimum. He said kids are growing rapidly at that age and their homework load is increasing, so prolonged stress on the shoulders and spine could lead to developmental problems.

Saunders said some experts believe improper use of backpacks during childhood could lead to chronic back problems in adulthood. And he said lower back pain in adults is a leading cause for missed work -- second only to colds and flus.

Saunders said he understands that kids sometimes have to bring big art projects or bulky show-and-tell items to school. He suggested putting such items in a separate bag to limit the stress on the back, or even having an older sibling or parent help carry the load.

When placing items in a backpack, arrange them so the heaviest items sit closest to the back, said Erik Nieuwenhuis, a physical therapist for St. Luke's Regional Medical Center.

"That keeps the center of gravity closer to you," he said.

Saunders said the bottom of the backpack should be at the waistline and no lower than the upper buttock. To maintain that position, Saunders said backpack straps need to be adjusted depending on the bulkiness of clothes worn at that time of year.

Cindy Lewin, an advanced registered nurse practitioner with Siouxland Internal Medicine, said a girl came into her office with sores under her arms, and it turned out that her backpack straps had caused the irritation.

Lewin recommended looking for a backpack with a thicker strap and one that's got some cushion or padding.

Some experts noted that it's important to distribute the weight evenly when lugging a bag around, so they aren't big fans of backpacks and bags carried on only one shoulder instead of two.

Lori Bogenreif, a Sioux City parent and manager of the My Nurse statewide health information hotline, said messenger bags have gotten popular recently, and both her son and daughter have one.

She said she started wondering about the messenger bags after the hotline got a call from a college student in Ames asking to be referred to a chiropractor.

Bogenreif said the college student had noticed since the school year started that her back was sore on just one side, and after talking with the nurse, she decided it could be her messenger bag that was causing the problem.

But messenger bags aren't a problem for everyone.

Sarah Williamson lugs her lunch, water, books, notebooks, pens, pencils, chapstick, sticky notes and keys around Briar Cliff University in a messenger bag, and she said she's never experienced any back or shoulder pain.

Carol Garvey, director of student health services at Morningside College, said for adults, the variable is probably how strong they are.

After about a week of classes at Morningside, a couple of girls had already come into Garvey's office complaining of back pain. And overall, Garvey said more girls than guys seem to have problems related to heavy backpacks.

"My hunch is that it's the upper body strength," she said.