Is Your Backpack “Killing” You?

When you think of back problems, you usually think of older people with walkers and canes. But back problems are starting to affect more than just the elderly. Even FCHS students are complaining about back pain and it’s clearly not due to old age.

It just might be their book bags.

According to ABC News, “55% of students carry backpack loads weighing more than 15% of their body weight.” Meanwhile a recent report in The New York Times found that some backpacks can weigh as much as thirty pounds.

Every day, many FCHS students find themselves toting heavy book bags on their backs filled to the brim with textbooks and binders. The resulting weight can cause students’ shoulders to droop back and create a strain on their lower spines, leading to back strain and sometimes, pain.

What kind of effects can this back strain really have on students in the future? According to EverydayHealth, “In 2013 alone, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission cited 5,415 book bag-related injuries treated at emergency rooms.”

Some experts point to the dangers of continuously carrying heavy book bags, noting injuries ranging from minor back pain, to chronic back pain, to other types of back damage. “Wearing a backpack that’s too heavy can be a contributing risk factor for discomfort, fatigue, muscle stress and pain, especially in the lower back,” said Karen Jacobs, a clinical professor of occupational therapy at Boston University.

According to a WebMd survey of 3,500 high school students, 90% said their back pain was “bad” or “very bad,” while nearly 65% reported having back pain at some time. “It definitely has an effect on youth’s backs,” said FCHS freshman Connor Small who thinks these negative effects can add up over time.  

“I have a textbook and three binders in my book bag,” said FCHS sophomore Kaitlin Makridis. “It feels like 200 pounds,” she added, noting that she has been having back problems caused by her book bag since 7th grade.  

So with all these problems linked to heavy book bags, some people might argue, why not get a locker?  Wouldn’t that help solve the heavy book bag and back pain problem?

Yet surprisingly, most students at FCHS do not have lockers, even though they are now free. “The hallways are really crowded. The 8th graders really crowd around and I’m not able to get through and get my stuff [from the locker], especially since we only have five minutes,” said FCHS freshman Mia LaRochelle.  

Small agrees. “I’ve never really been a fan of lockers. The hallways are really crammed and we don’t have much time,” he said.

So what’s the answer? According to some students, as long as there is only five minutes between class changes, there isn’t one.

“I don’t want to go to my locker in between class, grab the stuff that I probably won’t need in my class, and then be late,” said FCHS sophomore Darnell Johnson.  “[But] I would use a locker more if I had more time in between classes.”