Some Schooling On Backpacks

Doctors are concerned that looking cool could be hurting kids. Here are some ideas to avoid injury

Like many kids now heading back to school, I used one of those fashionable single-strap, over-the-shoulder bags to carry my books around when I was studying in New York City. But at Dartmouth Medical School, my city bag turned out to be totally inadequate for lugging heavy medical texts. I'd lose valuable minutes at the start of a lecture rubbing an aching arm and shoulder before I could start writing down what the prof said. Taking a cue from classmates, I finally got a large, wide-strapped bag with a third strap that wrapped around the hips. It wasn't chic but it...

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