Backpacks and musculoskeletal pain: do children with idiopathic scoliosis face a greater risk?
Chronic musculoskeletal pain in school children, caused by the weight of carry-on items in the school backpack, has been established as a significant problem. (1,4) Pain represents a symptom, not a sign. Though the perception of pain is very personal and subjective, several factors probably affect pain among all school children who carry backpacks including the actual weight carried, body mass index, percent body fat, muscular strength, exercise habits, smoking habits, diet and nutrition, mood, design of shoes worn, posture and gait, and presence or absence of scoliosis. Results from my previous studies on the relationship between backpacks and back pain suggested that children with idiopathic scoliosis may be at higher risk for pain than children without scoliosis. One of my studies involved 145 adults aged 3-77 years (36 with scoliosis; 109 without scoliosis), and 388 children aged 6-22 years (37 with scoliosis; 351 without scoliosis). Overall, the adults recalled experiencing less p
