After the third teenager of the day recently visited his Middletown office complaining about back pain, chiropractor Craig Pruitt had to say something.

In the past couple of years, the chiropractor has seen an increase in the number of younger patients coming through his door, troubled by balky backs at far too early in life.

The cause? Pruitt said it's usually the overloaded backpacks students are hauling to classes and then home every day.

But the good news, Pruitt said, is the problem can be addressed and corrected now before it begins to present problems, which might not surface for another 10 to 20 years.

"This isn't about blaming anyone," Pruitt said. "I know there's only so much we can do because kids need their backpacks, but I also think parents should be aware of the long-term health issues this could be creating."

According to statistics from Backpack Safety America, there's a 60 percent chance a teen will have at least one episode of lower back pain caused by a heavy book bag. According to Backpack Safety America, it's not the backpack that's the problem but how children are using them.

Sam Fenton, a freshman at Middletown High School, said his back started acting up about the first day he arrived at Gaudet Middle School. Sam said that's because he had to carry most of his textbooks because there usually wasn't enough time to go to his locker and make it to class before the bell. Now that he's in high school, Sam said it's not much different and its something he's gotten used to.

"I know it's from my backpack, but I need all those books, so it's just something I'm going to have to deal with," he said. "I don't like it, but I also don't want to be late for class either and get a detention."

The 14-year-old and the rest of his family visit Pruitt's office on East Main Road regularly to get back adjustments, something they said has made a difference. Pruitt said a typical adjustment takes about 10 minutes.

"When we started looking into spine care and how it important it is, we were amazed," Sam's mother, Marybeth, said during a recent visit to Pruitt's office with Sam, husband Patric and younger son Cooper.

"Since we've been coming here, we've noticed that we're all feeling better and we don't get as many colds," she said. "It's made a huge difference for our family."

"It's really preventative maintenance," Patric said. "I would recommend it to anyone."

Look at most teens, Pruitt said, and you'll see them using only one of the two straps on a backpack, which can knock the back out of whack. Having a backpack filled with 20-40 pounds of books doesn't help either, he said.

Backpack Safety America indicates that approximately one-third of 13-year-olds checked out in an independent study had spinal degeneration, although not all were reporting back pain.

"What happens with the back in most cases doesn't happen overnight," Pruitt said. "It could be taking place and many people don't even know it."

Pruitt said he feels for those patients who come into his office, upset that they're simply not able to do the things they used to because of a bad back. "For basically every 20-, 30- or 40-year-old who comes in here, unless they've had a fall, it's not something that just happened," Pruitt said. "They can't play the sports they love or play with their children the way they'd like to or do their job as well as they'd like."

SAFETY TIPS:
Tips for safe backpack use, courtesy of chiropractor Craig Pruitt, whose office is on East Main Road in Middletown:

• Use a backpack with rollers, if possible.
  
• Pack only necessary items.
  
• Put heavier items on the bottom of the backpack.
  
• Use backpacks with two padded shoulder straps, both of which should be worn at all times.
  
• Make sure to bend your knees when putting on a backpack.
  
• Never carry more than 15 percent of your body weight, meaning if a student weighs 70 pounds, their maximum load should be 10.5 pounds or 18 pounds for a 120-pound student.