Carrying Heavy SCHOOL Bags can be harmfull for KIDS HEALTH

What happens when the weight exceeds the said limit?

‘Carrying very heavy backpacks can lead to musculoskeletal problems, especially if children carry the bag on one shoulder. It puts extra pressure on one side, tilting the spine,’ she says. Doctor's also points out that keeping the bag down and then carrying it again is more dangerous for a growing spine than continuously walking with static weight.

Doctor's explains, ‘To carry a heavy bag, the child has to lean forward. This leads to developing a bad posture. The spine is a stack of bones called the vertebral column with the bones separated by a cartilage called the inter vertebral disk and held upright by the muscles and ligaments around it. The excess weight puts undue stress on the muscles, ligaments and disk thus damaging them. The alignment of the column is also disturbed causing it to bend, mostly forward or sideways.’

In other words, a heavy bag puts the child’s health and physical development at risk which can hamper his/her overall growth.

‘Children’s skeletons are still developing, and having a heavy bag slung over one shoulder can exert unnatural force on the spine, muscles and attachments,’ says Doctor's.