Proper Backpack Use Tips for Back-to-School — Advice From Brown Alpert Medical School Spine Expert

Proper Backpack Use Tips for Back-to-School — Advice From Brown Alpert Medical School Spine Expert

Dr. Dominic Thomas Kleinhenz with the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, who specializes in treating neck and back problems, spoke with GoLocalProv.com this week about proper backpack use for students as they head back to school. 

“Backpacks tend to be a huge problem — or a huge cause of back pain — especially in younger children and even college-aged kids,” said Kleinhenz, on location at the new University Orthopedics facility in Kettle Point in East Providence. “Probably the most important thing is unloading a significant amount of weight out of your backpack. It’s hard to put a good number on it, but really try to limit it to 10 or 20 points, so really about two classes, or two periods worth of books at a time.”

“The other thing to always make sure of is that you wear both straps — when you wear just one it puts the weight asymmetrically on one side of the spine, that can lead to back problems. You want to adjust your straps to keep them into the body, so that the weight is really balanced in the center of the spine,” said Kleinhenz. “The other thing is to put the heaviest things on the bottom, in towards the center — all of those things really optimize the position of the backpack and keep the weight distributed across the spine.”

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Kleinhenz completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at Brown University and The Miriam Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital and also completed a fellowship in spine surgery at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital. He is a board eligible orthopedic surgeon with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

What to do When Problems Arise

“The number one thing is taking things out of the backpack — and be aware of the way you’re wearing it. If those things don’t work, then number two, try some gentle stretching, focused on hamstring stretches and trying to touch your toes from a bending position,” said Kleinhenz. “The other thing is strengthening the abdominal or core muscles, which puts the back in a better position.”

“I’d say seek help if you’ve had three weeks, four weeks, six weeks and it’s not getting better — especially if it’s waking you up at night and it’s not going away with any Tylenol or ibuprofen,” said Kleinhenz. 

“Rolling backpacks are an option — and it’s a great way to unload them from back — but if you put 50 pounds [in one] then you’re going to get shoulder problems, elbow problems, wrist problems. In general, keep the loads light and try and limit the weight in the backpack,” he added. 

“Generally we say in orthopedics, that one pound of weight across the back ends up being four pounds on the knees — so in the long run, it’s really the little things when you’re a kid that can become problems at an older age,” he said. 

Text Neck

Kleinhenz also spoke to the rise of “text neck” — which he calls “really just an overuse problem where people get a pain in the back of the neck.”

“One of the things — and I guess it’s kind of cumbersome — but bringing the cell phone to eye level so you’re not always looking down,” he said. 

Another thing he suggests — standing desks. 

“The other great thing for the workplaces — if you can do it — is try and have a sit-to-stand desk. That’s something I’ve been really trying to push for more,” said Kleinhenz.