Shoulder Pain – and How to Avoid it!
No matter what their size, color or shape (although there’s a general standard, to be true!)
shoulders are a beautiful thing. They’re a complex marvel of engineering, and, as anyone knows
who’s ever injured a shoulder, take time and particular care to heal and get working right again.
Unfortunately shoulder and neck pain are very common, especially for women. A major culprit
is something most women consider a necessity – a large, often over-stuffed, purse or handbag.
Form and function come together to create an opportunity to overload neck and shoulders: large purses are a fashion mainstay, and it’s awfully tempting to fill up all of that space with the
“must-haves” of day to day life.
Heavy shoulder bags throw the body out of whack because all of the weight is all on one shoulder.
An asymmetric load affects posture, causes the muscles on that side of the body to over-develop, and strains overworked upper back muscles. Muscle spasms, tension headaches,
and arthritis are all problems that can occur. No wonder; tendons, muscles, nerves and ligaments are all negatively affected!
There are some things you can do to treat your neck and shoulders more kindly:
+ Choose purses with wide straps or extra straps and handles so you have options (cross-body, hand-held)
+ Switch sides on a regular basis so you’re not always carrying your bag on one shoulder
+ Downsize your purse (yes, we know it’s obvious, but it’s also probably the toughest solution to actually put into practice!)
+ Avoid holding your bag in the crook of your arm
+ Mind your posture, focusing on keeping your shoulder blades down and back and engaging your core
+ Use a cross-body bag
+ Yoga or a gentle stretching routine can help keep things loose and balanced
Trying to dig through a purse that’s hanging off your shoulder doesn’t make for great body mechanics, either! Keep those small accessories that always seem to end up at the bottom of your purse at hand instead, in a Travel Eyez case attached securely to your strap. Take advantage of these tips for happy shoulders!
