Work - Volume 32, issue 3

Authors: Lindstrom-Hazel, Debra

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Purpose: A systematic review of the literature between 2003 and 2007 was conducted to explore the questions 1) Are school-aged children actually at risk for back pain because of carrying backpacks? How much of a load is too much? 2) Does backpack in adolescence predict back pain in adulthood? 3) Are there behaviors that lessen/increase the risk of back pain/injury? i.e. education on how to carry, pack the pack and psychosomatic behaviors? Method: Cochrane Collection, Pub-Med, OTSeeker, PEDro, …FirstSearch Medline, ERIC, General Engineering, Engineering Village2 and Goggle Scholar were searched with the following keywords in various combinations: backpack, back pain, load, children, adolescents, pediatrics, and physical fitness. Sixty-three articles were considered for the study to answer the three research questions. Each study was analyzed for specific application to the three questions. Results: Ten articles were analyzed for the first, epidemiological question, two articles were analyzed for the second long term health risk question and seven articles were analyzed for the behavioral question. Conclusion: Weight recommendations and carrying behaviors are not consistently supported in the recent studies; several studies call for an examination of psychosomatic behaviors as potential predictors of back pain in childhood and adolescence. Show more

Keywords: Pediatrics, prevention, children and adolescents

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0831

Citation: Work, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 329-338, 2009

Authors: Bauer, Denise H. | Freivalds, Andris

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The load of student's backpacks has raised questions over the safety and health of schoolchildren everywhere. The purpose of this study is to use electromyography (EMG), posture evaluation, heart rate, and ratings of perceived exertion and perceptions of pain to find an acceptable backpack load limit for middle school students. Twenty middle school students aged 11 to 14 (10 female and 10 male) volunteered for the study. The subjects completed two tests, standing stationary and walking …on a treadmill, where they carried 5% incremental loads from 0% body mass (BM) to 20% BM. The study indicated that the Borg-CR10 ratings and trunk flexion angle for the walking trial indicated a possible load limit of 10% BM due to the non-significant difference between 0 and 10% BM and the significant difference between 10 and 15% BM. Show more

Keywords: Child safety, electromyography (EMG), percent body mass

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0832

Citation: Work, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 339-350, 2009

Authors: Brackley, Heather M. | Stevenson, Joan M. | Selinger, Jessica C.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Parents, educators and researchers have expressed concern about the long term impacts of children carrying excessive loads in their backpacks on a daily basis. Although many researchers have investigated appropriate weight limits for children's packs, little research has been conducted on the design of children's backpacks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in children's trunk forward lean (TFL), cranio-vertebral angle (CVA) and spinal lordosis angle (LA) that occurred with high, medium and …low load locations during standing and walking. Ten-year-old children (n = 15) completed a repeated measures designed study while carrying 15% of each child's body weight in a typical backpack with only shoulder straps. A special instrumented backpack (IBP) was designed that allowed the weight to be placed in the proper location and continuously measure changes in spinal curvature. TFL and CVA postures were captured on digital video at five intervals including: standing without a backpack prior to a 1000 m walk; standing with a backpack at the beginning and end of a 1000 m walk; and walking with a backpack at the beginning and end of a 1000 m walk. Results indicated that significant changes occurred in TFL and CVA when the backpack was loaded to 15% body weight. The low load placement in the backpack produced fewer changes in CVA from the initial standing baseline measure than the high and mid placements. When all measures were assessed collectively, there were fewer changes in LA in the low load placement. These findings indicate that future backpack designs should place loads lower on the spine in order to minimize children's postural adaptations. Show more

Keywords: Load carriage, backpack design, children, posture, gait, biomechanics

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2009-0833

Citation: Work, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 351-360, 2009