02/07/2025
Cross body bags FTW!
PURSE and POSTURE 😳
Sometimes a small thing that is done, but done over and over, can have a tremendous effect.
Carrying a purse or bag on one shoulder is one of those things!
Human shoulders are naturally sloped downward, so if we place a bag/purse there, it will slip off. The only way to keep it from slipping off is to isometrically contract our shoulder girdle muscles of elevation (upper trapezius and levator scapulae), for every second of every minute or every hour that the bag is worn!!! Multiply this by every day/week/month/year/decade, and the deleterious effects are tremendous!! 😵💫😵💫
And it really does not matter if the bag is not heavy. Even keeping an empty bag on the shoulder would cause this constant unremitting contraction, most certainly leading to tightness, dysfunction, and pain in the shoulder and neck, likely with headaches to follow.
Although a heavier bag would dig into the myofascial tissue more than a light bag would, especially if the strap is narrow.
Do we know anyone over the age of 25 who doesn’t have tight muscles and myofascial trigger points in their trap/lev scap/ back of neck area? 🤔
I hate to sound preachy, but this is one of my pet peeves. So often, I treat a patient for their tightness and pain in their neck. And then they thank me and promptly put their purse on the shoulder to leave. 😐😤
There is such an easy fix. Just buy a cross-body bag (preferably with a wide strap). It will naturally stay on the opposite shoulder without the need for any muscle contraction. 😊😎
And perhaps as you transfer all your stuff into this wonderful new cross-body bag, take away anything that you haven’t used for the past week. You probably don’t need to be carrying around all that stuff. 😊
