Biomechanical Effects of Backpack Load and Placement on Children’s Spine
Backpack is reported as the most commonly carried load by schoolchildren. Backpack weight has been demonstrated to affect the physiological performance of schoolchildren. However, there is still no clear guideline for the backpack center of gravity (CG) placement. Moreover, there is a scarcity of information about the direct effects of backpack load and placement on spine. The aim of this study was to determine the deformation of spine at different regions during backpack carriage with different weights and positions in schoolchildren. Thirty schoolboys participated in this study. They were requested to carry one of the three backpack weights, which were equivalent to 10％, 15％ or 20％ of their body weight (BW), at anterior and posterior positions with CG at T12 level. The spinal deformations (i.e. changes of spinal curvature between loaded and unloaded conditions) of cervical, upper and lower thoracic, upper and lower lumbar as well as sacral regions were determined shortly after carrying the backpack. The amount of spinal deformation was found to be mainly affected by backpack position, in which different spinal strategies were adopted between anterior and posterior carriages. Deformation of spine during anterior carriage was relatively smaller compared with that of posterior carriage, while the least change was seen when carrying a 10％ backpack anteriorly.
Debbie ZY Ou Daniel HK Chow Chris XG Wang Alon Lai
Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,Hung Hom, Kowl Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kow
国际会议
17th World Congress on Ergonomics(第十七届国际人类工效学大会)
北京
英文
1-4
2009-08-09（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）