Laura Sanchez, Cypress College Student
Roller backpacks are for the dorky type of student who doesn’t care about impressing those around them.
Many people have the image of the nerd walking down the hallway with their roller back pack. Some of those perceptions are true. I am a nerd; I don’t care how I look. All I care about is keeping my back pain free. I may be a little dorky, but that’s my thing. Not everyone using a roller back pack is weird like me.
“I love my roller backpack, it’s easy to use and I don’t have anything to hold,” said Laura Sanchez, Aviation major. “I have four classes in one day and there is no way I could carry all of my books in a backpack or walk to my car each time I need a book. That’s crazy.”
Most people wear their backpacks incorrectly with one strap over their shoulders. Wearing a backpack the wrong way will damage the neck, shoulders and spine. A backpack should be worn with both straps on the shoulder and the weight should be evenly distributed. It’s vital to keep the weight of the backpack to a minimum; too much weight causes problems with the spine.
“Ninety-nine percent of students don’t use a backpack properly; they sling it over the same shoulder. If I do an exam, I can tell which side the student slung their backpack over,” said Kathleen Kinrade, Family Nurse Practitioner, Cypress College Health Center. “Over time, a 20 to 30 lb backpack can cause neck and shoulder injuries along with the added weight on the spine.”
“Owners of roller backpacks need to switch from left to right hands too because pulling a roller back with the same hand can cause damage to the back,” said Kathleen Kinrade, Family Nurse Practitioner, Cypress College Health Center.
“No, I would not use a roller backpack. They’re ugly and they make me feel and look old, and I do not want to look any older than I already do. I try to use fewer things in my back pack to minimize the damage on my back,” said Belinda Allen, radiology major. “For a heavy book, I will not put it in my backpack. I hold it in my arms. Roller backpacks are beyond geeky, they are hideously horrible and I will do whatever it takes to not use one”
Using a backpack or a roller backpack is a personal choice. We must weigh the pros and cons of both. It is socially acceptable to use a backpack but we should not let that stop us from using a roller backpack if we are experiencing back pain. We need to consider the options and not to be concerned with impressing those around us for the sake of our backs.
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt
