Marietta, Georgia – December 8, 2025- Life University alumni Drs. Lori Beth Bryson and Jonathan Bryson have recently published an article in collaboration with Drs. Brent Russell and Ron Hosek from the Dr. Sid E. Williams Center for Chiropractic Research: “Kinematic evaluation of sagittal spine motion during walking with internal frame and frameless backpacks.” The research team found that walking with a loaded backpack caused participants to walk with the lumbar spine in flexion and the thoracic and cervical regions in compensatory extension.

These effects increased over a span of walking time and were significantly more prominent with a frameless pack. It’s compelling to see how an everyday occurrence like carrying a heavy backpack can have such an immense effect on overall health and well-being. The results are in line with the researchers’ professional opinion that backpacks should have better spine support.

The authors also wish to acknowledge the editor and staff of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine and the literature search assistance of Life University alumna Alma Ayala Diaz.

Founded in 1974, Life University is a health sciences institution most known for its College of Chiropractic, the largest single-campus College of Chiropractic in the world. Undergraduates can pursue 12 undergraduate degrees; a pre-chiropractic, degree-seeking pathway; and three graduate degrees within the College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies. Some degree programs are offered to distance learners through the College of Online Education.

Life University strives to empower our students to succeed both professionally and personally. At Life U, we innovate our approach to higher education while also remaining true to our philosophical commitment to produce informed leaders who exemplify humanistic values in their professions. To achieve this goal, Life U recognizes and demonstrates its dedication through three official values: Lasting Purpose, Vitalism and Integrity.

Life U’s 110-acre campus in Marietta, Georgia, just northwest of Atlanta, is home to more than 2,400 undergraduate, graduate and professional students who come from all 50 United States and more than 60 countries.

For more information about the Dr. Sid E. Williams Center for Chiropractic Research, please visit CCR.life.edu

To learn more about Life University’s research initiatives as a whole, please visit the Complementary Healthcare Advanced Research and Leadership Institute (CHARLI) homepage.

 

About Life University

Life University is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s and Doctor of Chiropractic degrees, and also has programmatic accreditation through the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) and the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The mission of Life University is to empower students with the education, skills and values necessary for career success and life fulfillment, based on a vitalistic philosophy.