Heavy bags can harm children's spine

BANGALORE: Over 6,000 kg a year, 500 kg a month, 140 kg a week, 20 kg a day: that''s what your child has been carrying to school every day, according to a recent study by the Indian Academy of Accupressure Science. Are our children becoming beasts of burden? It''s the age of miniatures. But even as the chip gets smaller the school bag on the back of most Indian children gets bigger.The paradox is complete. But at what cost? Doctors warn of long-term effects on the spine, neck and shoulder. Tremendous ligamental and muscular damage may set in given that going to school very often means that children are packed off every day like daily wage earners without a respite. "In a rural setting perhaps the damage would not have been as serious. From a very young age the children are used to hard work and a tough life. In the city, our children are cushioned from such pressures. They lack any form of exercises and therefore the effects begin to show," says consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr H.S. Chandrsekhar. Half in jest HOSMAT''S Dr Thomas Chandy says, "A few years ago I had trouble carrying my daughter''s school bag. I wonder why so much needs to be carried to a school every day. But there is no escaping the damage that it does. For fear most students may not complain at all. The others, because of their age may not be able to pin-point the damage. In addition, some children may not complain for fear of being called sissies or because their parents simply do not want to listen." But we frequently see children who complain of back and neck pains, in the side of the ribs and at the trapezius muscle over the shoulder." Dr Chandy believes that to lessen the strain on the back children trend to stoop over a little more leading to kyphosis or a temporary hunch. "This leads to habitual bad posture and pain," he says. He adds that 5 per cent of the population also suffer from scoliosis or a curve in the back, which invariably gets aggravated by constantly lifting heavy objects. While the earlier days bags used to be slung on the shoulders these days most use back-packs thereby putting pressure on the spine. Consultant neurosurgeon Dr H.V. Satish Babu mentions an occasion when a principal accompanied a boy who had complained of severe pain in the neck and back. "I had to tell him that the only way out was to ensure that these little children do not carry so heavy a burden every day. On an an average we see 3-4 such cases a week." The warning bells are ringing loud and clear. Is anybody listening?