The Yearly Blessing The yearly blessing of the backpacks (Photo Barbara Martin)

September is known for cool temperatures, shopping with your children for school and that huge sigh of relief heard from mothers everywhere waving good-bye to their little darlings after a summer of fun as they load onto big yellow buses safely headed into the world of education.

But just when you thought it was safe to send them back to the classroom, here's one more concern you might want to consider.

The month of September has been named Backpack Safety America Month to focus attention on the impact that carrying heavily loaded backpacks can have on young developing spines. Take a look at any bus stop. It's hard to find any students who aren't weighed down with a load on their backs, often bearing a resemblance to an upright turtle.

Not so long ago, students kept the books, boots, and daily "can't do without items" in their desks or lockers at school. Somehow over the last decade, kids started carrying all their stuff back and forth.

Dr. Peter West has owned West Family Chiropractic on Federal Street in Wiscasset since 1993. He is a board certified chiropractor who understands the dangers inherent in this trend better than most.

Prior to meeting with the paper, Dr. West spent time reviewing the topic and put together a number of highlights that he felt would be most helpful for the reader.

"I have three school age children and am fighting the battle along with other parents," West says.

He suggested that it would add insight for parents to understand a little about how the back develops. He explained that a child's back has 33 vertebrae, and between 24 of the movable vertebrae, there are discs that absorb shock.

Dr. West explains, "When a heavy weight, such as a backpack filled with books, is incorrectly placed on your child's shoulders, the weight can pull your child backward." Children often overcompensate, bending forward or arching their backs, which can cause the spine to compress unnaturally."

Backpack Safety America International describes itself as the world's first comprehensive response to the need for backpack safety. The organization maintains an extensive website with lots of helpful information.

The site includes the results from a survey of 206 North American chiropractors, which found that 86 percent had seen children, ages 5-18, with back, neck or shoulder injuries caused by heavy backpacks.

So what do parents do? West said there are five signs that a backpack is too heavy. He described them as follows: (1) change in posture when wearing the backpack (parents should look carefully to observe any changes); (2) struggling while putting on or taking off the backpack; (3) pain when wearing the backpack; (4) tingling or numbness in the child's hands or arms; and (5) red marks on the child's back or shoulders.

"It would be good to have a dialogue with teachers or administrators and parents to talk about what must be in the back packs and how we could make them lighter," said Dr. West.

The Backpack America Safety International website says that the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 6,512 emergency room visits each year result from injuries that are related to backpacks.

Take a look at the "heavy math" they suggest parents do to understand how much weight their children are lifting. Figure that there are 12 pounds in an average backpack; multiply that by 10 lifts per day and multiply that figure (120 lbs.) by 180 days per school year. The total equals about 21,600 pounds lifted in one year. The shocker at the end of this exercise is that the weight equals lifting six cars - of course, little by little.

The American Chiropractic Association suggests that a backpack weigh no more than five to ten percent of a child's total body weight. Dr. West included a handy overview to determine what is a safe backpack weight for any user.

• If the user's weight is 50 pounds, no more than 7.5 pounds carried.

• If the user's weight is 80 pounds, no more than 12 pounds.

• If the user's weight is 100 pounds, no more than 15 pounds.

• If the user's weight is 130 pounds, no more than 19 and one-half pounds.

West included a number of other ways to help insure that your child's backpack is safe. He talks about how to pick up a backpack correctly. A student should face the pack; use both hands to pick it up; keep the pack close to the body and bend at the knees, not the waist, to use leg muscles to disperse the weight.

Both Backpack Safety America International and Dr. West stress choosing the right backpack. Some hot tips are to pick a lightweight bag with two wide, padded, adjustable shoulder straps. Pick a bag with a padded back, waist belt and a lumbar support. The bag should have multiple compartments to help distribute the weight evenly. If the students choose a bag that can be wheeled, consider how and when it will be picked up and what will happen in the snow.

West suggests that parents help children decide what could be taken out of the pack. He recommends helping them clean it out regularly. He also suggests using the family scale to keep a running weight on the pack and continuing to talk to children about any problems they are having with discomfort.

West said that he used the websites for the American Chiropractic Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Safety Council to gather his information and urges others to use information provided by these organizations.

Backpack Safety America's website is www.backpacksafe.com. They not only offer information but also have programs available for use by schools. Products are also available online through Body Mechanics, Inc. which is associated with the initiative.