BANGI: Nurul Hanim Fazwin used to take part in a lot of sporting activities. Then she developed an “S” spine – a 40-degree crook – and had no choice but to undergo corrective surgery.
She paid a heavy price for it.
“The surgeon told me, ‘You can’t carry heavy bags. You can’t walk very much, you can’t take part in sports’,” Hanim told FMT.
She was also forced to undergo quarantine in a “cold room” – where the temperature was set at 16 degrees Celsius – for 21 days to prevent her from sweating while in recovery.
Her father, Mohd Zaqrul Razmal Mohd Podzi, attributes the condition, known as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, to the heavy school bag she had been lugging around for many years.
He believes that heavy school bags can affect children’s health, although past research did not yield any conclusive evidence to back his claim.
Zaqrul, a paediatrician at the Mawar Medical Centre in Seremban, said he made the link after observing his daughter’s daily routine and discussions he held with other doctors.
He also posted an X-ray of his daughter’s spinal problem on Facebook to raise awareness on the issue, which saw many parents sharing similar experiences.
Some claimed their child’s school bag weighed up to 6kg.
Zaqrul said while the issue of heavy school bags was not new, it had not been addressed thoroughly by the authorities.
“Over the years, school bags have become heavier because each subject requires more than one book. You have a textbook, exercise books and other books recommended by the teacher.”
Back in 2018, the education ministry issued a circular on the problem, including one for schools to provide lockers.
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a coronal plane spinal deformity which is most commonly found in adolescent girls from ages 10 to 18. Treatment can range from observation to surgical management depending on the severity of deformity and curve progression. - FMT
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