Los Altos, CA
Lets play a fun little game that might help you live with less neck pain.
Take a quick look down by your feet, on the sofa next to you…wherever your bag may be, take a quick look.
I’m going to take a guess and say your bag is either big, heavy, or both?
(This goes for both men and women by the way – it’s not just women any more who carry large, heavy bags around with them!)
Anyway, I may be wrong, your bag might not fit these descriptions at all, but the reason why I guessed it might is because over the years, many patients that have visited my clinic, have had a big bag.
So, it’s no surprise that during my time as a Physical Therapist, one of the most common injuries I see is neck pain.
And without even realizing it, carrying a large handbag, can cause this.
I remember when one of my patients Trudy came to see me. She was telling me about having discomfort in her neck.
I looked over to the corner of the room, spotted her bag, asked if I could feel how heavy it was, and it weighed a ton!
No wonder why she was in agony.
But when Trudy finally changed her over-sized handbag swapping it for something smaller carrying a lot less weight and had some physical therapy, her neck pain eased off and no longer caused her discomfort.
So, if you’re currently carrying around a heavy bag with you, my advice to you, would be to clean out your bag at least once a month, and make it lighter!
The number of items we can end up storing in them, is crazy!
When I got my aunt to do this, she had receipts from over a year ago in there, a heavy purse with a large coin purse even a make-up bag full of every single lipstick she owned!
Now, I’m not saying yours will be as full as my aunt’s, but I can assure you that if you have a bag clear out, and use all of the pockets to distribute the weight evenly – you’ll feel a difference.
Another thing to remember with keeping the weight even is, if you do have a backpack, use both of the straps. Otherwise, if one strap is the only option for you, try to change sides regularly, so there’s no risk of strain.
A Physical Therapist can also help you find the best bag suited to your body type, so you no longer have to worry if you’re carrying your bag the correct way or not, and avoid neck pain as much as possible.
If you’d like more tips like this, click the link below to download your free report, which includes several ways to avoid neck pain: https://physiofitpt.com/neck-shoulder-pain/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kim Gladfelter, MPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Women's Health Physical Therapy Specialist at PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness
Kim Gladfelter is a physical therapist, Pilates instructor, educator, author, and co-founder of PhysioFit Physical Therapy & Wellness. She is known as a keen, well-rounded expert of healing through movement and women’s health specialist in the Silicon Valley area.
Kim has helped men and women of all ages to stay active and feel their best. She also writes about managing pain in her health columns, blogs and the local Los Altos Town Crier newspaper as well as reaches out to the local community, support groups, schools, libraries, and sports centers to advise and educate on body awareness and therapeutic exercise.