Save Your Spine from that Tote Bag
By Genevieve Smith
Coco Chanel brought the purse with a shoulder strap to the global stage in the twentieth century. Her goal was to allow for a sportier life, where women would no longer be bound to carrying their petite bags by hand, restricting their activities or forcing them to fuss over fashion. What the culture icon and women’s liberation advocate could not have anticipated was the weight that we would start to carry on one shoulder -- and the not-so-chic effects on the body.
Neck and Back Pain
While your oversized purse may be super convenient, it is not super sweet for your spine. The weight, over time, creates an uneven pull on one side of the body. Your skeleton tries to compensate to correct this imbalance, which leads to muscles working overtime. And no, this doesn’t count as a workout; instead it leads to chronic pain as your muscles strain to maintain a natural posture.
Abnormal Gait
Your strut changes when you add a little extra asymmetrical weight. In trying to support the unevenness, you shift in ways that may not even be perceptible. But the abnormality can add up to an unnatural curve in your spine over time. How are you going to be a svelte grandma one day if you’re curving your spine in the lead-up?
Stiff Muscles
You put your musculoskeletal structure to work when you traipse around town with that heavy bag. The tendons and joints in your back, arms and neck tense in various ways to accommodate your precious cargo. Weeks and years of this can also cause spinal compression, further compounding the likelihood of altering the curve in your spine. Years of putting pressure on your skeleton can result in more serious and not-so-trendy issues.
Lighten up the load in your bag, opt for a sweet mini backpack, and visit a chiropractor. You need to work out your kinks and ease your back into a healthy swing of things to get that precious natural curvature back into your spine. Check out The Joint chiropractic for their professional plan to get you loosened up and straightened out in no time. They’re completely within price range, thanks to affordable options (The Joint doesn't take insurance). Best part is, you can walk in anytime and, typically, be out within 15 minutes.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic.