An expert at The University of Mississippi says carrying overweight backpacks can cause serious health risks over time.
Students like Lacey Russell understand that this may be true to some extent.
“I was diagnosed with scoliosis in sixth grade, and at the time it was cool to wear your backpack down low,” Russell said. “The doctor I went to in Memphis said I needed to wear my backpack at the proper adjustment.”
So how much weight is too much?
Dr. Travis Yates, director of Student Health Services at the university, said 20 percent of body weight is generally the accepted standard.
“Say for a 100-pound person, that would be 20 pounds, and for a 150 that would be 30 pounds or something like that,” Yates said. “But I hate to see people carrying over 20 or 25 pounds, no matter their weight.”
Weight is not everything, however.
As Russell found out, backpack position and the placement of certain items within the bag can put additional strain on the back, causing a variety of problems ranging from upper and lower back pain to hip and knee problems.
“It needs to be symmetrically distributed,” Yates said. “They need to use both straps. So many students want to take one strap, just throw it over one shoulder. That is an added stress to the back.”
Yates also provided advice on how to pack backpacks to minimize stress on the body.
“If you do have heavy books and things, those need to be packed closer to your back and it’s just simply for the distribution of the weight. It’s easier to carry and if you have the heavy books in the way back, you’re arched over backward and it puts more strain on your low back and your neck.”
However, Yates believes that, on average, backpack weight is going down.
One reason may be an increase of technology in the classroom.
“Many times you can substitute a laptop for the backpack, and I would think technology would actually help. Certainly the old-fashioned laptops were pretty heavy, but if you have a newer version of the laptops, the whole competition is to have the lightest laptop that you can have,” Yates said. “So, if you could substitute that laptop for a bunch of books, it surely would be helpful.”
Ole Miss student Carolyn Smith has already found this to be true.
“Since I don’t have as many binders and I don’t have a lot of notebooks, I’m able to use my Macbook Air, which only weighs four pounds,” Smith said. “I can keep all of my subjects on it, and a lot of my books are on my computer so I don’t have to lug those around.”
