“I love my backpack,” says freshman Miranda Osiow. Osiow’s choice of school bag is a rolling backpack. She is among those at school who does not suffer from back pain—often traced back to the heavy loads students carry during the week.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for many other students, who experience back pain due to the heavy loads they are forced to carry. According to the American Chiropractic Association, in 2001, 7,000 emergency room visits were caused by backpacks. These back-to-school purchases, while necessary, can cause chronic back pain when they are too heavy or worn improperly.
Rolling backpacks come highly recommended from doctors, and studies show that the long-term use of a rolling backpack decreases the risk of certain back problems later in life. Despite this, there is a minority of Aragon students using rolling backpacks.
Instead, many students use smaller backpacks and rely on their lockers. Junior Kevin Ruttenburg explains, “[My backpack] is functional, small, and red and black. I use my locker every day.” This method spares Ruttenburg the back pain endured by many others. He says, “[My back] only hurts when I’m carrying around my French horn.”
Sophomore Michael Lanthier employs a similar strategy. Last year, his backpack dwarfed him, and he rarely used his locker. This year, Lanthier states, “I chose my backpack because it wasn’t larger than me. I used to not use my locker, but now I do, just for textbooks.”
Senior Monica Klein uses an even smaller bag than the ones used by Ruttenburg or Lanthier—her purse. Klein says, “I don’t like the feeling of two straps over my shoulders, it makes me uncomfortable. When I had a backpack, I had to keep one strap off, and couldn’t get the straps even. [Having] one strap over my shoulder is more comfortable now.” When Klein used to wear her backpack over one shoulder, the imbalance hurt her back. Even though her purse is worn over only one shoulder, it is too light to cause shoulder pain. Klein is still able to carry everything she needs by holding her books in her arms.
Like Klein, freshman Ty Gallegos prefers a one-strap bag. Both students describe common problems with backpacks, which can cause pain even if they are worn correctly but are too heavy.
However, there are some students who simply use rolling backpacks. Osiow says, “I’ve used [rolling backpacks] since second grade.” Similarly, sophomore Josh Pollock used his rolling backpack in middle school and switched back to it this year after his back started hurting. Pollock explains, “I have to carry a lot of stuff around, and I noticed my shoulders were starting to hurt a lot. I don’t really have time to use my locker, and I have to carry a lot of books. I realized I don’t have to walk up any stairs at school.”
Both Pollock and Osiow have also had to deal with several problems due to their rolling backpacks. Pollock says, “The wheels can be really loud. Sometimes, I’ll run over people’s feet or clip their bags. Another problem I’ve encountered … is sometimes I don’t have enough hands.” Osiow adds, “Stairs are a problem. You have to practice driving it or you will hit people.”
Some students do not believe using rolling backpacks has enough benefits to warrant a switch from their current backpacks. Junior David Tong says, “This is high school … They’re impractical. Everybody trips over them, it’s easier to get things wet, and they just look bad.” Tong is careful to use a backpack as small as possible and utilizes his locker often, so he rarely suffers back pain due to his backpack.
Junior Jonathan Prins’s back, however, hurts almost every day, as he has to bring several binders to and from school each day. Prins still does not desire to switch to a rolling backpack. Prins says, “They don’t look good and they get in everybody’s way, me and others in the hall.”
For some adolescents, the value of appearance trumps that of practicality. A rolling backpack is a relatively simple way to alleviate back pain, and according to Pollock and Osiow, the benefits outweigh the detriments, but some students have less than enthusiastic associations with the pain-savers. Many students find other methods to take care of their backs, such as using their lockers or choosing smaller backpacks. An article by ABC News also suggests, “implementing a five-minute ‘backpack planning period’ for younger students before the final school bell sounds, would help kids reduce the weight of their backpacks before sending them home.” While this system is intended for elementary schools, perhaps more high school students need to take to heart this lesson of carrying around less weight.
