Reduce Bag-Related Back Pain
By Sara Butler
Nearly everyone carries a bag of some sort in order to function in daily life. Your children may have a backpack and you may carry a diaper bag, a purse, or a briefcase. Whatever sort of bag your daily life requires could be the reason for your back pain. Here are a few chiropractic tips to help put an end to back pain caused by your bag!
Make it Lighter
Your bag should not be more than 10 percent of your body weight. If it’s any heavier than that, then it’s too heavy for your body to carry without causing complications. Carrying additional weight for long periods of time puts stress and strain on your back, shoulders, and neck. It can result in muscle imbalances that create more problems with joint dysfunction and restriction. So, lighten your load and have less pain.
Get a Wheeled Bag
If you have no choice but to carry heavy items to and from the office or school, then you may want to invest in a bag with wheels. You may not like the look of a wheeled bag, but it can greatly reduce back and neck pain you can experience from carrying a bag. So, who cares how it looks? Focus on how you feel!
Look at your Shoes
If you’re wearing footwear that isn’t appropriate, then it will only make worse any problems you experience with your back from carrying a heavy bag. You should look for shoes that offer good arch support with a low heel. This will help with lower back pain and relieve some of the stress on your back at the same time.
Clean Out Your Bag
Do you really need three sets of plastic silverware, two tubes of lip balm, and an entire encyclopedia in your bag? No! Make it a practice to only carry the things around with you that you need and remove the things that have no place in your daily life. Put all that change in the piggy bank and put it toward your next vacation – you don’t need it weighing you down each day!
If you do all of these things and still experience back and neck pain, then you need to get checked out by a chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic. A chiropractor can help you determine the underlying cause of your pain and address it! And if you don't have pain, you might get checked anyway; restrictions don't have to be painful to prevent your body from being 100 percent.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Monroe, La.