How to Wear a Backpack Safely

University Health Center Author

09/28/2020 Added

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You wear your backpack around campus a lot. Keeping it too heavy or wearing it inappropriately can cause back pain. Here are some tips from the University Health Center physical therapy department on how to wear a backpack safely.

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[00:00:02.874]Hey Huskers! You wear your backpack
[00:00:04.854]around campus a lot. Having your backpack
[00:00:06.924]be too heavy or wearing it inappropriately
[00:00:08.894]can really cause some serious back
[00:00:10.814]problems. Here are some tips to help you
[00:00:12.704]wear your backpack appropriately and save
[00:00:14.504]your back. Generally, we want to skip over
[00:00:17.231]the single strap or sling type backpacks.
[00:00:19.567]We want a backpack with two straps that
[00:00:22.187]have thicker, wider padded straps to
[00:00:25.307]evenly distribute the weight across your
[00:00:27.287]back. When you put on your backpack,
[00:00:29.957]using both straps, we want to make sure,
[00:00:33.447]if it has the chest and waist clips, to
[00:00:36.977]make sure you're using those to help
[00:00:38.857]distribute the weight better, as well as
[00:00:41.327]not having your backpack too low. We
[00:00:43.145]would rather have the bottom of your
[00:00:44.597]backpack at about the level of your waist.
[00:00:46.629]Shortening up the straps will help keep
[00:00:49.019]the tension off your low back and keep
[00:00:51.189]it better supported on your shoulders.
[00:00:53.049]Typically, we want your backpack to be no
[00:00:55.279]more than 15% of your body weight, so
[00:00:57.439]for a 140-pound person, that's about 21
[00:00:59.609]pounds, so about four or five textbooks
[00:01:01.919]or maybe your laptop and a couple
[00:01:03.659]textbooks. We always try to encourage
[00:01:06.209]you to err on the side of lighter
[00:01:07.809]Only carry the necessary textbooks
[00:01:09.919]for that day. If you're having problems
[00:01:12.129]with your backpack or are having neck
[00:01:13.819]and shoulder pain because of your backpack
[00:01:15.499]or any other reason, you can call the
[00:01:17.282]health center to schedule an appointment,
[00:01:19.102]or for more information on what we offer
[00:01:21.102]in physical therapy, you can visit the
[00:01:22.812]website.

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How to Wear a Backpack Safely

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