Winthrop high school students carry heavy loads in their incorrectly worn backpacks. The spine is the most important structure in the human body. Without it, we cannot function. The spine is something that should be taking care of, not destroyed by carrying around 30 pounds slung off one shoulder.

 The spine consists of 26 bones (Web MD). It’s bones are connected by a number of ligaments and provide support for the upper body. It also provides protection for the spinal cord. The vertebral column provides attachment points for the ribs and the muscles of the back. The spine has 5 regions. The cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and the coccyx (Helium.com). The spine was designed to carry large loads, but only for short distances, and not often. The average high school backpack weight is 22.5 lbs, and carrying it around can hurt the spine.

            The back was designed to carry large amounts of weight, but for only a short time, and not on a regular basis (Verde Magazine). Carrying a heavy backpack around school, can put a lot of strain on the back, which can lead to serious injury, such as a herniated disk, telescoping of the spine, or paralysis (Web MD).

A typical response to experiencing back pain is to take it easy – either staying in bed or at least stopping any activity that is at all strenuous. While this approach is understandable and may even be recommended in the short term, when done for more than a day or two it can actually undermine healing. Instead, active forms of exercise are almost always necessary to rehabilitate the spine and help alleviate back pain (Childrens Hospital, Boston).

When done in a controlled, gradual, and progressive manner, active exercise distributes nutrients into the disc space and soft tissues in the back to keep the discs, muscles, ligaments and joints healthy (spinehealth.com). Consequently, a regular exercise routine helps patients avoid stiffness and weakness, minimizes recurrence of low back pain, and reduces the severity and duration of possible future episodes of low back pain (WebMD.com).

Depending upon the person’s specific diagnosis and level of pain, the back pain exercise and rehabilitation program will be very different, so it is important for people to see a spine specialist trained to develop an individualized back exercise program and to provide instruction on using the correct form and technique. For most back conditions, active exercise and stretching – not rest – is typically necessary to help reduce pain and encourage healing (Childrens Hospital, Boston).

The hypothesis for the research was, “If the researcher weighs Winthrop high school student’s backpacks, then 35% of student’s backpacks will weigh more than the recommended National Library of Medicine backpack weight to body weight ratio (15% of body weight). The independent variables for these tests were backpack weight & body weight. The dependant variable was the percent of WHS students with backpacks over 15% of body weight. The control was WHS students with backpacks

To gather data, the researcher followed this procedure. The researcher gathered a scale, and a clipboard. He then stood in the lobby of Winthrop Highschool, and asked students to step on the scale, and weigh them selves with their backpacks, and without their backpacks. With 35 people recorded, the researcher found the backpack weight to bodyweight ratio, which was on average 23% of body weight.

As seen in the chart above, 39% of polled student’s backpacks weighed between 10-20% of their body weight, a relatively healthy weight. However, 37% of student’s backpacks weighed between 20-30% of their body weight. An additional 22% of student’s backpacks were greater than 30% of their bodyweight. In total a stunning 59% of these student’s backpacks are over the National Library Of Medicine guidelines for a healthy backpack weight! Carrying around such a weight for an extended amount of time can cause severe injury of the spine.

Some schools have taken measures that reduce the amount of time that backpacks are on students. Winthrop High School implemented a policy in 2001 that says that no student is allowed to carry their backpack around school; rather students have to stash their belongings in a locker. This policy was implemented to prevent students from carrying around illicit substances or weapons, but a added bonus is student’s backs are less at risk. However when interviewing a Winthrop High School student, Anna Doyle, she did not like the policy. “If I could carry my backpack around school, I would. I hate using my locker. It is on the bottom, and people always drop stuff on me.”

Even if you carry around your backpack, there are many things you can do to avoid back pain, such as stretching, standing with one foot slightly in front of the other, sitting with the knees above the hips, and doing abdominal crunches (Web MD). Strong abdominal muscles help support the spine.

Most students carry their backpacks on one shoulder, because it is easier. This is horrible for the back. The weight is distributed over a smaller area than with both straps, and it pulls the body to the side, unnaturally curving the spine. The size of the straps also maters. Wider straps distribute the weight more effectively than narrow straps. Along with good straps, buckling the waist strap is better on the back. It helps distribute the weight across the hips, the strongest point in the body (Spinehealth.com).

Some sources of error were that the researcher had students write down their own data, in case they were uncomfortable with their weight, but they could have lied, or made a mistake. Five ways the project could have been improved are, using a more diverse control, taking more samples, the researcher writing the data down him self, started sooner, and didn’t rush. The hypothesis was proven true. 59% of student’s backpacks weighed more than 15% of their body weight.

 Winthrop high school students carry an unhealthy amount of weight in incorrectly worn backpacks. If students keep carrying unhealthy amounts of weight on their backs, as they age, they will be more likely to have painful backs that interfere with work and even simple activities such as walking.