Many people don’t think proper backpack positioning and adjustment matters. In my opinion, the correct way to wear a backpack is very important. Especially for those of us who sit at a computer for long periods of time.
We get an excessive amount of internal shoulder rotation from holding a keyboard and mouse for 8 hours a day. As soon as I get up from my desk, I’m throwing on a backpack to go to the gym. The act of wearing a backpack used to tighten up my shoulders even more. My natural tendency was to rotate my shoulders forward when wearing a backpack. In addition to shoulder pain, rotating my shoulders internally for long periods of time caused muscle tension, neck pain, and back pain.
So, I’m writing this article to be an ergonomic backpack wearing guide for good posture. It’ll describe how to avoid shoulder pain and back pain from wearing a backpack. We’ll also talk about backpack wearing tips for comfort.
This article is not professional medical advice. It’s based off my personal experience and opinions. My poor posture at a computer caused some of the most stubborn muscle tension I’ve ever had. I write about healthy habits that are directly related to improving your posture at a computer. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.
How to Wear a Backpack Correctly
This article does not explain how to wear a custom fit, expensive backpack. This article simply talks about how I wear a basic backpack with good posture to carry small, everyday items.
Ergonomic Backpack Wearing Guide
This mesh Nike backpack is my go-to. I think I paid $25 for it. This article is not paid promotion. I’m not compensated by Nike. I paid my own money for this backpack.
I like this backpack for many reasons. It’s mesh, so it’s very light. It also has a minimal amount of pockets (6). I’m not constantly digging through different pockets trying to find something.
Again, this is not paid promotion. I paid my own money for this backpack chest strap. It’s also known as a sternum strap. Sometimes these straps come as part of the backpack. My backpack did not come with this strap. But, it’s a critical component of how to properly wear a backpack. I got it on Amazon for $8 I think. So, we’re looking at a total of $33 for both the backpack and the chest strap.
Adjust backpack straps and height the right way.
This backpack chest strap is very important for those of us who sit at a computer. It prevents me from wanting to naturally rotate my shoulders internally. We’re already trying to avoid that internal shoulder rotation all day while we’re using a keyboard and mouse with poor posture.
The same applies when I’m wearing this back pack. Regardless if I’m wearing it for 5 minutes or an hour. I want to avoid holding that internal shoulder rotation for any period of time.
After tightening the chest strap, I pull these straps (shown below) tight to raise the backpack up higher on my back. That way it’s not resting on the lumbar curve in my lower back.
Keep shoulders in a neutral position, not internally rotated.
Once I’ve adjusted my backpack straps and height the right way, everything else will fall into place much more easily. As I’ve talked about a few times in this article, we want to avoid holding internal shoulder rotation for long periods of time. This is a critical variable when it comes to good backpack posture and computer posture. If you’d like to do a deeper dive on how to maintain a neutral position in the shoulders, check out my article titled How to Sit at Your Desk to Relieve Shoulder Pain.
Backpack Wearing Technique to Reduce Strain
Even when using good backpack posture, the bag can still put pressure on the same one spot on my back. So, to reduce that pressure, I will actively rest my hands like this (shown below). While pulling these straps down, I will lift the backpack up slightly. This is a common good posture practice with military and law enforcement. They often hold their backpacks (or vests) like this to keep their shoulders in a neutral position. It will also help us to avoid shoulder pain and back pain from backpack use.
I talk about this a lot in my other articles. No matter how good our posture is, if we stay in the same position for long periods of time, we begin to overuse those muscles and repetitive strain becomes an issue. Which is a bad thing. So, this slight change in backpack positioning and adjustment is a good thing.
Maintain the natural curves in the spine.
When people say “stand up straight”, it can actually be misleading advice. Our torso needs to be straight, but not our spine. Our spine is only straight from the front and rear views. From the side angles, the spine has natural curves in it. Maintaining these natural curves is known as the neutral position of the spine. When poor backpack posture causes us to slouch forward, the natural curves in our spine can flatten out. This can cause back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, muscle tension, and spinal disc degeneration.
Thanks for your interest in good computer posture. If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You’re taking valuable steps to reduce pain and improve your computer posture. That’s something to be very proud of!
If you liked this article on how to wear a backpack correctly, check out my free ebook titled 3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately!
>>> Click here to download your copy
This ebook is a great supplement to the article you just read. In this ebook, you’ll learn 3 of the most painful computer posture mistakes. Then, you’ll learn how to fix those mistakes immediately with 3 simple changes to your ergonomic computer desk setup.
Go to SittingPosture.com/ebook to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen