Be Mindful of Your Wallet, Purse

It happens every day. A male patient visits the office and before lying on the table to get adjusted, he takes his wallet out of his back pocket. This wallet looks as if he has a year’s worth of receipts in it! Or a female patient sits her handbag on the side table when she’s in the office. I usually pick it up to hand it to her as she’s leaving the office and it’s as if the purse is packed for a week’s vacation!To save yourself from neck and back pain: men, you should not be carrying your wallet in your back pocket and ladies, don’t carry your purse on the same shoulder all of the time. Not to mention, both should be cleaned out from time to time!Let’s start with the wallet; when you sit with your wallet in your back pocket you are making your pelvis unlevel. This can cause a 1-2 inch discrepancy between the two hips. Think of this like wearing a high heel on one foot and a flip flop on the other. Now you can see how this can create postural issues and alter the body’s correct alignment. It makes sense that if you were to change your shoes that you would correct the problem. But think about how many years you have been carrying that wallet in the same back pocket. Over time the muscles start to get used to this position; and they try to help you by adapting to the position. This causes muscles to become tighter than they should and others to become weaker than they should. This can start to predispose you to pain and injuries from these incorrect positions. So where should you put your wallet? The front pocket is a much better choice.Now for the purse; whether it’s the right or left shoulder, everyone has a preference. With the added weight to one shoulder this adds pressure and causes a downward pulling on the shoulder. You can usually see a visible difference between the shoulder heights. This causes increased stress in the muscles that help to elevate the shoulder with the weight of the purse working against them. It also interferes with your natural gait. When you walk, your hands and feet swing equally and your gait keeps you balanced. With a purse on one arm that arm doesn’t swing as much so the other has to more. This alters your gait and the muscles are being used.So what can you do to prevent this? It is hard to eliminate wearing a bag completely but there are some tips to help reduce this. You can reduce the weight of your bag, try a bag with wider straps, choose bags with different strap options, switch shoulders or consider switching to a backpack.If you have any questions, ask us the next time you are in the office.