What injuries can cause school backpacks in children?

Lo hemos oído mil veces. Y seguramente lo hemos dicho otras tantas. «Siéntate recto» o «coge bien las bolsas de la compra que te vas a lesionar la espalda».

Now that the return to school begins, many parents are considering what type of backpack buy their children to prevent their back from being injured.But what's true in all these statements?

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In 2019, a group of physiotherapists led by Diane Slater conducted a systematic review of many studies on back pain that questions many of the messages that have been given on this subject during all these years.

The lesions that can be caused by excess weight are very relative."If you take it very bad, you take it from the ground sharply, you can hurt yourself ... but among the kids these things do not happen, it is not usual," says Herrera.

The physiotherapist explains that "if the children were going to be loaded all day with 20 kilos backpacks," injuries could occur.But in the day to day of the kids this does not occur.

Although it is true that sometimes children carry more weight than they should, back or other problems are more related to obesity and sedentary lifestyle than with backpacks.

In other words, there are no injuries due to the weight of the backpacks.But loading more weight or charging it bad can be the final trigger for a previous problem.

In any case, according to Pablo Herrera «they are short -term problems, contractures, increase in muscle tension.In the long term they do not usually produce problems ».

Backpack of shoulder or car?

It depends.Physiotherapists affect the need to apply common sense when deciding.

And it is that the decision will depend on two things: the amount of weight that the child will load and the time that the backpack will carry in tow.

On the other hand, if the school is going to make very long journeys with the backpack in tow, the best are the car.

Organize weight in the backpack

At this point, the recommendations on how to organize the backpack would be very similar to those applied by mountaineers and hikers when preparing for long excursion days.

In any case, the expert insists that "take away fears and not be alarmists.Only apply common sense ».

And most importantly, increase the daily physical activity of children, avoid sedentary lifestyle, and provide them with tools to be active.