Image credit: The Nemours Foundation
We get it: Dog is man’s best friend just like a backpack is man’s best accessory. However, wearing this particular accessory the wrong way could lead to back, neck and/or shoulder pains; and potential chronic injury.
Sadly, kids are not immune to the dangers of incorrect backpack usage. They may face gait and posture problems and experience the aforementioned pains if they improperly haul around heavy backpacks from class to class.
It’s never too late to learn some basic backpack etiquette. Here’s how to wear your backpack correctly and avoid unnecessary aches and pains.
7 Tips on Carrying a Backpack the Right Way
Image credit: Bbagstore
Tip 1: A backpack should be lightweight with thick padded straps to help distribute the weight across the shoulders and back.
Tip 2: Wear both shoulder straps as opposed to slinging the backpack with only one strap on one shoulder. Wearing both shoulder straps helps to evenly distribute the weight and makes it easier to walk up straight instead of leaning to one side.
Tip 3: The backpack should be high on your back with the shoulder straps comfortable on your shoulder. If it isn’t, adjust the shoulder straps accordingly.
Tip 4: If your backpack is swaying from side to side as you’re walking, then the straps are too loose. You need to tighten them.
Tip 5: Does your backpack have a waist strap or pectoral strap (across the upper chest area)? If so, you need to use it. Waist straps exist to help distribute the weight of the backpack to the hips, thereby relieving shoulder pressure. Pectoral straps help to keep shoulder straps in place, thereby reducing backpack sway.
Tip 6: The heaviest items in your bag should be placed closest to your back and they should be placed in a way that doesn’t allow them to slide in your bag.
Image credit: Norman Marcus Institute
Tip 7: A backpack should never drop below waist level.
Now that you know how to wear a backpack the right way, it’s equally as important to know the most common incorrect way to wear one, so you can avoid doing so.
The One Strap Sling Way
Image credit: Verywell Fit
It’s no longer cool to wear your backpack with only one strap on your shoulder. At least not in 2018.
A lot of kids, teens and perhaps, even you, haven’t gotten the memo as this method is the most common way to incorrectly wear a backpack.
Time for some medical truth: Using only one strap puts disproportionate pressure on one shoulder and the upper back and neck. That method can also cause shoulder, neck or back pain, in addition to headaches. The uneven pressure of the backpack also leads to poor posture which can cause gait issues.
Those gait issues can lead to hip and knee pain as well.
Then how about you put both straps on one shoulder?
Well...carrying a backpack using both straps on one shoulder could lead to muscle imbalances between both sides of your body.
The Low Back Pack Way
Image credit: Verywell Fit
You may believe that wearing a backpack low on your back will make it easier to take the bag on and off.
However, wearing it that way increases pressure on the back side of the shoulders which may cause you to lean forward in order to counterbalance the weight. That posture puts excess strain on your lower back.
Loose straps that enable the backpack to hang low can also cause the bag to sway back and forth when you’re walking. This sets you up to have back injury and chaffing shoulders down the line.
Backpack Warning Signs
Here are some signs that you’re wearing your backpack wrong:
- Pain in your back, neck, shoulders or knees
- Headaches
- Tingling or numbness in your arms
- Red marks on your shoulders from backpack straps
- Struggling to get your backpack on or off
- Forward posture when wearing your backpack
- Poor posture when your backpack is off your back
Backpack Weight Guide
For Kids
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should carry no more than 10 to 20 percent of their body weight in their backpack. If your child cannot carry less, then perhaps a rolling backpack would be more suitable for them.
Kids should generally follow the same tips as adults – the tips we highlighted above – for properly wearing a backpack.
Ideal Backpack Weight for Daypacks and Hiking Packs
A daypack for school, work or hiking should weigh no more than 10 percent of your body weight. That includes the weight of the water bottle.
You should be able to wear your backpack comfortably while running, cycling and hiking, without causing any pain.
If you are backpacking for an overnight of multi-day hike, your backpack should weigh no more than 20 percent of your body weight.
Your Backpack, Your Rules?
All that being said, only you can know what feels comfortable and safe. You just need to be honest with yourself in finding the most comfortable (not the coolest) and safest way to wear your backpack.
Wear It In
It is important to fiddle with your backpack and make it as comfortable as possible to carry around. You should wear it around the house or go for a long walk with it before you properly start using it.
In doing so, you will soon realize the importance of putting soft things behind your back. (You’ll find that having bulky and awkward items like shoes sticking into your back is like stubbing your toe constantly on that inconspicuous step.)
So, get to know your backpack. Tweak and fiddle here and there, fill it up, empty it out, sit with it, wear it to bed. Trust us, it is not overkill. You need to know if it is the best one for you.
If you find that you can’t get comfortable with it, no matter how hard you try, you need to return it for one that you’re happy with.
A good backpack will last you for years and will serve you well, if you wear it right. So, get it right. Right?
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