Backpacks and back pain: where's the epidemic?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if children presenting with a chief complaint of back pain at a pediatric orthopedic office attribute their pain to wearing a heavy backpack. A retrospective medical records search was performed to identify school-age patients with back pain. Of the 346 patients included in this study, only 1 child attributed back pain to wearing a backpack. Three patients stated that their back pain was made worse by carrying their backpack. A phone survey revealed that 80% of the patients in this study wore a backpack for school purposes. The authors found that school-age children with back pain severe enough to require orthopedic evaluation rarely attribute their pain to wearing a backpack.