Getting ready for school in the morning usually entails gathering monstrous backpacks, hoisting them across our shoulders, and rushing out the door.

Of course, more than likely you left your math book on the kitchen counter and you forgot to grab a water bottle. So you rush back in and grab all the other necessities to get you through the day.

By this point, your already heavy backpack is bursting at the seams, and your hands are full of whatever did not fit. You have to set items down just to shut the door behind you.

By the end of the day, after carrying this load around with you – across the school and up and down three flights of stairs multiple times – your back is aching and all you can think about is a nice massage or a hot tub soak.

These end-of-the-day aches could be a sign that your backpack is having negative effects on your health. Columbus East’s school nurse, Jenni Kinnaird, noted that carrying around a heavy backpack all day can cause shoulder pain and lower back pain. Our center of gravity is also affected.

“It’s easier to lose your balance going up and down stairs,” Kinnaird said.

This is especially true for those students who have a smaller build and whose backpacks are almost as big as them.

East junior Ryan Hunkley carries around a 26-pound backpack. He says that his ACP US History textbook is what really adds to the weight, along with his laptop.

When asked what students can do to lighten the load, Kinnaird said they should use their lockers. With the start of the current school year, East students have larger lockers that can easier contain bulky textbooks. Of course, it is hard to find time to rush to your locker, but Kinnaird recommends at least making time to visit your locker during lunch.