by Kate Crofts
Daily Lobo
UNM students returned to class this semester with the weight of their academic choices not on their shoulders, but on their backs.
Marvin Arnsdorff, co-founder of "Backpack Safety America," researched the health effects of backpacks, and his findings may help explain the pain suffered by students.
"A heavy load, distributed improperly or unevenly, day after day, is indeed going to cause stress to a growing spinal column," Arnsdorff said.
Estimates published by Arnsdorff indicate 7,277 emergency room visits each year are the result of backpack-related injuries.
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"That is the beginning of an epidemic, one that will cause serious damage to a child's health for a lifetime," Arnsdorff said.
He said the epidemic of back problems is already on the rise -backpack-related injuries are up 330 percent since 1996.
George Stribling, of Stribling Chiropractic in Albuquerque, said UNM students are feeling the weight.
"I see lots of students who come over here," Stribling said. "I see somewhere between five and 20 students a week."
Stribling said while backpacks were not the sole reason for students' pain, "heavy books loaded improperly into a backpack definitely contribute to back pain."
Nicholas Wheeler, a UNM sophomore, said he has found his daily textbook load to be heavy, but the weight was more of an issue when he was in high school.
"When I was younger it was a much bigger problem because the books weighed the same but I weighed a lot less," Wheeler said.
According to Arnsdorff's research, as a safety precaution students should never carry packs exceeding 15 percent of their body weight.
Stribling also has tips for students looking to reduce the risk of incurring back pain.
"Students should try to keep their backpacks fitted properly," he said. "Try to keep the bulk of the weight higher, rather than having it drag down low. Keep the pack close to the body and use the chest strap."
For students already experiencing pain as a result of their backpacks, there are several options, and chiropractors aren't the only one, Stribling said.
"There are other methods - massage therapy, acupuncture - whatever the student prefers," he said
The UNM Student Health Center offers options such as physical therapy and massage therapy.
There is no reason, given the proper information, that a student should suffer under the weight of their backpack, Arnsdorff said.
"Backpacks themselves can do no damage. Using them improperly can," his Web site states.
