Do This and Your Backaches Will Never Come Back

We all know that certain types of bags might be bad for our spine health. Carrying heavy items is bad too, but you can decrease the damage from heavyweights by choosing the right way to carry them. Here are TOP-5 important notes on the impact of the backpacks on our health, tips on how to choose the right backpack for you, and some interesting statistics.

1. Carrying heavy backpacks might lead to rounding shoulders and leaning forward

In general, carrying heavy items a lot might cost you some health problems. The recommended maximum weight for a backpack (especially for children) is about 15% of the weight of the person carrying it. This means, if your child is 40 kg, his or her backpack shouldn't be heavier than 6 kg. If they have to carry more books than that to school, consider a bag with wheels. Another idea is getting an extra set of books for home - in this case, your child wouldn't have to carry all of their books around on them as much.

2. Carrying a backpack on one shoulder can cause spine curvature

It is not new that carrying a usual backpack on one shoulder might damage your spine, but you still have to remember that. But if you prefer having a bag over just one of your shoulders, you should consider getting a crossbody backpack or a sling bag. They won't be as painful and bad for your health, but they look cool and more unusual.

3. The length of the backpack

The backpack should hang no lower than two inches below your waist. The best is if it is two inches above it. A backpack that is hanging too low will give more load on your shoulders, causing bad posture and balance.

4. Use hip straps if carrying a loaded backpack

Hip straps help to evenly distribute the weight of the backpack between the spine and the hips. This is helpful when the weight of your backpack is way more than 15% of your weight - some of the load will be passed on to the hips, and your back will be affected less.

5. Look for wide and padded shoulder straps, along with padded supported backside.

The backpack should be as comfortable and still as possible. Wide and padded shoulder straps will not cut into your shoulders, even if the weight is big. A padded backside will feel nicer to the back, and if it is supported, it will evenly distribute the pressure of the load on your back.

Last but not least, here is some important advice on packing a backpack. Always put the heaviest items closer to the back, and the most needed ones - on top and in the pockets. This will help to keep balance when going around with a backpack and make reaching for specific items in your bag easier. For example, let's say we pack a backpack for school/college. Here we should put the laptop and the textbooks as close to the backside as possible, and fill the side pockets with the most necessary items: a water bottle, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, wallet, keys, etc.