Elon DPT student delivers backpack advice for FOX 8's 'House Call'

A recent edition of “House Call” on the morning show of FOX 8 WGHP featured the expertise of Brooke Powell, a third-year student in Elon’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. 

The five-minute segment on the local FOX affiliate focused on how parents can reduce the likelihood that a child’s backpack will cause posture or back problems. Powell appeared on the show with Patrick McNamara, a sports medicine physical therapist with Cone Health Physical and Sports Rehab Center in Burlington who is Powell’s clinical instructor. 

Powell demonstrated with her own backpack, which she said was still loaded with her own books for class, how students should ensure they have a backpack that is the right size and is positioned properly on their body. “If your child has bad posture with a backpack, it’s probably because they have it hanging too low,” Powell told host Cindy Farmer. 

Chest straps on many backpacks help distribute the weight more evenly, Powell told Farmer. “It distributes the weight across the front of the body a little better and takes the stress off the shoulders,” Powell said. 

The segment appeared on Sept. 20, the annual School Backpack Awareness Day. 

Watch the entire segment here.