Shoulder pain due to heavy backpack

[milou2]

DS1 is in yr 8 and his shoulder has just had enough. He's being referred to a physiotherapist.

We have been trying to reduce the weight of his books etc. I have resorted to removing half of the pages in his exercise books, luckily most are only 1/4 used up, so the middle 1/2 comes out easily.

He weighs 77lbs so 5% of his body weight is ....3.85lbs, say 4lbs. An American website recommended 5-10% of body weight as a good target for the backpack.

I have removed extra pencils, pens.

The asthma puffer is 1/2 empty anyway.

I'll have to give him less money each day!

The homework diary pages can be ripped out after a couple of weeks, so that will gradually shrink.

Any tips for finding a backpack/holdall which is made out of an extra light fabric? Are there any special materials I can look for? A plastic bag wouldn't look good!

Now he needs a thin but gripping book to read on his journey to replace the tomes he usually has. Maybe that's why people read newspapers...he'll just have to be content with his music!

Has anyone else's child tackled this problem and had permanent success?

Does he not have a locker, it seems outrageoes that he is expected to carry his books in every day. Having said that my dd has a locker but refuses to leave her books at school in case she needs them. Her back nearly knocks her over when she swings it over her shoulder but she insists that she is ok.

He has a locker, but the logistics of where he has to be and at what time mean all books are kept at home. Lots of other children do that too.

I used to tear out individual pages of one A level text book and just take those sheets home. That saved me a lot of bother. I may separate his worst text book into chapters!!

I need to talk to the pta about this.

How to tell him that he just musn't use his bad side for anything that causes pain. It must be allowed to heal up.

Are there any trendy cases on wheels which could double as a schoolbag?

Most of the boys in my son's school have wheeled rucksacks - the most popular is a plain black Jansport one (John Lewis do it). It is more expensive than a lot of others that are available but it has lasted many times as long.

We have a real problem with this in my school with the younger girls who try to carry everything as they are frightened of being told off if they forget something. In our school there really is no need to do this they just can't be bothered to go back to their lockers at break times and lunch times to pack and unpack their bags but there actually is time to do this and it means they would only have to carry three lesson's worth at the most. Check with the school before you start taking textbooks to pieces (we would bill you for doing this) and also check before buying a bag with wheels (they are not allowed at my school as they damage the floor)

Our girls aren't allowed to use their backpacks in school - they are only used for going to and from home.

They carry what they need for each block of lessons in either their hands, or in a calico bag.

If they don't want to carry much home, they can stay in school until 6pm to do their homework.

If your son has shoulder pain, is it because he is just swinging his backpack over one shoulder instead of carrying it evenly over his back?

It seems extreme to rip up books, and will only add to his organisational woes.

ScienceTeacher - that sounds helpful, having a rule that the girls mustn't use backpacks in school during the day. So they all have to do the same thing.

Yes, my son is hanging the backpack over one then the other shoulder during the day. He wears it the proper way when he gets off the train each day, then takes it off and hands it to me, I nearly fall over!

roquefort - I have found the site and will take ds1 through it and similar ones. I hadn't thought of the word luggage.

I feel a lot more confident now. I have a list of lots of different actions he and I can take to consciously reduce the strain.

Dd2's school recommends children DON'T leave stuff in the lockers! They are always getting broken into and the school won't move them to a central area and have cctv installed.

Each child has to cart school bags, PE kit and musical instruments around all day wherever they go or risk the stuff being stolen.

After year 7, having spent a year complaining, parents either give up or move their children!!

DS had terrible back problems earlier this year and ended up missing loads of school, seeing Osteopaths, Othopaeds, Physios etc and I'm sure the weight of his (Yr8) bag definately made things worse.

I have now banned him from carrying any text books. The school allows him to share or gives him extra ones to keep at school, and he even uses the document imager on his camera phone to photograph relevant pages and read them on his computer at home.

He has a proper shoulder & back padded rucksack with very wide straps, but if things hadn't improved we would have got him a wheeled case (but he thought he would get teased).

How about podcasts or audio books on his MP3 player?

Hi, I have come to Mumsnet through the link posted to my site www.ergonomicschoolbags.co.uk
I started this business because my own son at the age of 10 was having back pain and I became concerned. It is really important that the children empty their back packs every day and only carry what they need. I weigh my two teenagers bags regularly and both make sure they follow the time table and only carry essential items.

One of my bags was recently featured in the Mail On Sunday 5 of the best school bags and was reviewed by Garry Trainer a renowned osteopath. my bags are functional and ensure that the weight is evenly distributed across the strongest muscles relieveing the pressure on the spine, neck and shoulders.

Back packs are the safest way for our children to carry their school items if they are worn correctly. Wheeled bags pose a health risk in that they cause the children to lean and many chiropractors, osteopaths and Doctors will not recommend them. Many injuries happen when the children have to carry them up and down stairs.

At the moment the equivalent of 3 children in every class will have chronic back problems which will cause them to miss school, sport and will affect them into adulthood. The statistics are concerning. If your children don't have lockers then raise the issue with your child's school and involve other parents.

As a parent I still feel angry that my son suffered, I spent so much money on shoes protecting his growing feet, I was not informed that the growing spine needs equal attention.

On a final note before I bore you all rigid if your child does complain of back pain don't ignore it......... go straight to your GP

I like the look of those schoolbags and may get one for ds1. I like the fact that there are loads of pockets to help get organised.

His new school has a timetable with 6 lessons a day - so more subjects to carry each day. The school is huge, and as others say it's not always easy to get back to lockers during break-times. Also they are a performing arts school and have 'kit' (shorts/T-shirt) for drama and dance lessons twice a week too, as well as PE kit to negotiate.

I dread to think how he'll cope trying to keep organised.

Having read this thread I keep noticing the bags of the children at school. The girls are the ones who seem to have the problems. It seems to be 'trendy' to adjust the straps very long, so the bag is dangling way down by their bum. If you watch them standing in queues, you can see their back being pulled backwards by the weight of the bag.

The boys seem to be much better at wearing the bag properly so the weight is distributed appropriately.

Roisin, I agree with you, I went to pick up my son after a GCSE exam and as I was watching the girls I noticed they all have very large hand bags or messenger bags. Their shoulders are hunched to keep the bag in position.

I really feel that schools should play a more dutiful role and make sure the school bag is appropriate for the amount they carry. Last year at the back show in London I was inundated with adults who are suffering as a result of their school days and the amount and way they would carry their bag.

Although the H&S law does not cover children as it does the teachers, I have been reliably informed that under section 3 the school does have a duty of care to all those on their site............. not just their employees. Schools can insist on what our children wear, they should insist that all children are protected with a supportive well designed school bag. It is not about fashion it is about preventing our children from becoming the 'back pain sufferers of tomorrow' and allowing them to 'stand tall'

On my site in the blog section I am collecting data on the weight of the average school bag, if any of you have time to weigh your childs bag and enter the information it would be very helpful. Please visit www.ergonomicschoolbags.co.uk and go to school bag blog. many thanks

Mum22teens, can I just say "The waist belt distributes the wait from the lower back onto the hip region " should be "weight". (There are a lot of pedants on this site, we even have our own topic. )

I bought one of mum22teens bags for my 12 y.o ds, and he loves it, especially the parachute straps. On reflection I should have bought the larger one as he is a tad rotund at the moment (growing outwards before he shoots upwards again), but he says his back has improved, and he finds that this backpack is easier than the Karrimor rucksack he had before.

The bag is well constructed and designed, and doesn't feel like it will rip if caught on anything, unlike others I've seen. He can (if I pack it properly for him, rather than him just throwing everything in) get everything he needs for his schoolday, and there is still room for more, so I'm impressed.

How about designing a school bag for teachers next, with space for 60 exercise books, that won't give us shoulder strain or back problems?

I've just ordered one for ds1 for starting secondary next year. So I hope he likes it as much as your ds scaryteacher!

I do cover lessons in school, so have to have "everything I could possibly need" with me in my bags I carry around school. It would be very interesting to see how heavy it is? Is it supposed to be 5-10% of my body weight too? I might bring it home and weigh it!

Managed to readjust the waist belt today, now it goes round him when he has a fleece on (cold in Brussels today), and it rocks!

Roisin - It used to take me three tripos from the car to my classroom to bring in all my crap for the day. Luckily my wonderful tutor group girls used to carry my laptop and briefcase for me, and I used to lug the books.

Thank you both scary Teacher and Roisin for your kind comments they are much appreciated.
I understand that teachers carry far too much and I often see my daughter helping her teacher with all the books etc to the car. I do have one local Authority who has bought my 'Elite' bag for a teacher with back problems as this bag in large is suitable for older teens and adults. It won't however carry all the items you have mentioned. The size of the bags are specifically designed around body size and age. Too many children are wearing adult size packs that they can fit everything but the kitchen sink in! Everyday I receive reports from around the world on this topic and some countries are discussing going fully electronic using text books on CDrom etc how would this help you as Teachers?
At the moment we are developing a Kinderbag aimed at nursery school form 1 and 2 to get them into the habit of good back pack practice from a very young age using the parachute system. At this age they don't carry much but perhaps it is a good time to get the little ones familiar with how to wear and adjust a backpack correctly