(SOURCE: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, news release, Aug. 6, 2008)
SUNDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The start of a new school year means it's time to remind students and parents about proper selection and use of backpacks. "When used correctly, backpacks are the most efficient way to carry a load and distribute the weight among some of the body's strongest muscles," Eric Wall, director of the orthopedic surgery division at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said in a center news release. However, improper use of backpacks can cause injuries that require medical treatment. For example, backpack-related injuries send almost 6,000 students to emergency departments each year, according to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report released in 2002. Wall and his colleagues in the division of orthopedic surgery offer guidelines to prevent school backpack-related injuries:
More information The Nemours Foundation has more about backpack safety. Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved. HealthDayNews articles are derived from various sources and do not reflect federal policy. healthfinder.gov does not endorse opinions, products, or services that may appear in news stories. For more information on health topics in the news, visit Health News on healthfinder.gov. |