Move over “dog ate my homework” excuse, there’s a new alibi in town: “homework is causing me PHYSICAL pain!” It sounds a little out there, but it turns out carrying your homework back and fourth from school to home – while good for the mind – is bad on the back.
Studies have shown that heavy bags are actually doing serious damage to students’ backs. A staggering amount of students under the age of 16 are going to the chiropractor with complaints of back and neck ache due to the immense loads they carry to and from school every day.
To prevent back injury, you should technically only be carrying 10% of your weight on your back, but some students end up lifting as much as 60% – that’s like giving someone who weighs more than half of you a piggyback ride daily.
Telling teachers to photocopy textbooks and give out a few sheets at a time is pretty unrealistic, but there are ways to minimize the amount of damage done by schoolbags. Pack the heaviest books closest to the back and the lightest closets to the front to keep the weight properly distributed. Make sure the straps are snug and around both shoulders.
Don’t carry one strapped bags – those will make you lean to one side and will consequently make your shoulders lopsided. Who wants a sore back AND crooked shoulders?
The more we hear stories like this, the more we’re on board with the idea of infiltrating schools with iPads and iBooks 2.