Can a backpack cause a herniated disc?

Repetitive movements like bending or lifting, as well as carrying unbalanced loads like a heavy backpack or shoulder bag, can also increase your risk for developing a herniated disc.



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The spine is never totally straight due to its neutral position being an “S curve”. However, wearing a heavy backpack places strain on the spine that forces it out of this neutral position, forcing pressure to be placed on your spinal discs in a way that can cause them to develop annular tears.

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Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can cause a person to lean to one side to compensate for the uneven weight. This can curve the spine. Over time, this can cause lower and upper back pain, strained shoulders and neck, and even functional scoliosis (curvature of the spine).

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Pain caused from excessive loads has gained the term “backpack syndrome.” Backpack syndrome causes headaches, neck and back pain, and fatigue. There have been studies examining the effects of carrying backpacks on one shoulder versus both shoulders. Carrying a bag on one shoulder causes significant asymmetries.

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According to a recent estimate, 96 percent of children in school are carrying way too much on their backs. In fact, 5,000 children every year go to the emergency department for backpack injuries. And, more than 14,000 children are treated yearly for related problems.

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Overloaded backpacks may strain muscles and joints, cause neck pain, and can lead to headaches. Heavy backpacks can also pinch or strain nerves at points of contact.

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Back pain from carrying backpacks can be avoided with the following solutions:
  1. • Check your posture. Carrying a backpack, especially a heavy one can change your spinal alignment. ...
  2. • Lessen the load. ...
  3. • Wear your backpack properly. ...
  4. • Consider backpacks with padded shoulder straps. ...
  5. • See a specialist.


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This shows that carrying an overly heavy backpack places increased stress on the spine, leading to compression of spinal discs that can likely be attributed to the formation of annular tears. A more recent study published in 2018 examined what kind of effect walking while carrying a backpack had on the spine.

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Effects of an overweight backpack The extra weight can distort the natural curve of the middle and lower back, causing muscle strain. Members of the UI Hospitals & Clinics Rehabilitation Services team recommend you carry no more than ten percent of your weight in a backpack.

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Continuous use of heavy backpacks, bags, suitcases, briefcases, and purses can cause muscle weakness and fatigue. This pushes the spine out of alignment. It also causes bad posture and other conditions that lead to scoliosis in children and teens (since the spine is still developing at these ages).

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Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can cause a person to lean to one side to compensate for the uneven weight. This can curve the spine. Over time, this can cause lower and upper back pain, strained shoulders and neck, and even functional scoliosis (curvature of the spine).

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This type of paralysis can occur when a backpack overloads our shoulder girdle, causing the shoulder blades to sag down dragging the collarbones with them. The collarbones will then compress the delicate long thoracic nerve against our rib cage and it is this nerve compression which causes the paralysis.

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The condition was first described in 1969 in Vietnam soldiers. 8 The brachial plexus is injured by the weight of the backpack due to direct compression or stretch of the nerve tissue leading to demyelination, with or without axonal injury.

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