Backpacks are useful tools for carrying belongings, but it's especially important for school-age children to tote their load properly to avoid back and shoulder injuries.

Following are some tips for purchasing and using a backpack, as well as warning signs parents can look for indicating their child's backpack is too heavy.

Safe Backpack Use

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following tips for choosing a backpack and using it safely.

· Pick one with padding. Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back.
· Lighten the load. Organize the contents in the backpack to use all of the compartments, packing heavier items closest to the center of the back. The backpack should never weigh more than 10-20 percent of the student's body weight.
· Share the weight. Always use both shoulder straps. Slinging the backpack over one shoulder can strain muscles and may also increase curvature of the spine.
· Roll with it. Consider a rolling backpack, but keep in mind the student will still need to carry it up stairs.

What If You Must?

If a student must lift a heavy backpack, the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations offers these tips for lifting it correctly to avoid injury.

· Face the backpack before lifting it.
· Bend at the knees and lift with your legs, not with your back.
· Keep the pack close to the body.

Warning Signs

How can you tell if your child is carrying his backpack safely? According to the National Safety Council, the following are warning signs that a backpack is too heavy:

· a change in the child's posture when he is wearing the backpack;
· struggling when putting on or taking off the backpack;
· pain when wearing the backpack;
· tingling or numbness; and
· red marks on the child's skin where the backpack rested.

Proactive Parents

In addition to tips for choosing the right backpack and preventing injury, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends ways parents can help ensure their child's backpack is safe and avoid back and shoulder injuries.

· Encourage your school-aged children to tell you about pain and discomfort that may be caused by a heavy backpack.
· Do not ignore complaints of back pain from a child or teenager.
· Talk to your child's school about alleviating the items students must carry.
· Find out if your child's school allows students to go to their lockers throughout the day. If not, team up with other parents to encourage the school to make changes.
· If possible, consider purchasing a second set of textbooks your student may use at home, instead of having to carry books back and forth to school.

Compiled by Barbara Drosey, associate editor at ADVANCE.