The Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP) has flagged a 40% rise in musculoskeletal problems among schoolchildren and called for preventive interventions in schools. New Delhi: Heavy school bags are often blamed for back pain among children, but physiotherapy experts say increasingly sedentary lifestyles, prolonged screen use and poor movement habits are emerging as bigger concerns.
A Bhopal study of 934 children found 55.9% reported pain in the previous year, 41.6% in the preceding 10 days and 21.3% had seen a doctor; school bags averaged 16.5% of body weight. An Odisha study found musculoskeletal pain in 18.8% of 10-16-year-olds. Children need regular movement, physical fitness, strength, flexibility and good movement habits,” said Dr Ruchi Varshney, organising secretary, WPAWP 2026.
Experts said back pain cannot be blamed on schoolbags alone, with inactivity, prolonged sitting, poor movement habits, previous injuries and psychosocial factors also contributing. She said physiotherapy could help schools introduce preventive programmes focusing on movement education, early identification of problems and healthy physical activity rather than waiting for pain to become persistent. “We should not totally link childhood back pain to a heavy-school bag problem.