"Carrying weight on one side of your body makes your lowerback muscles contract harder than usual to maintain your posture," saysMichael Schafer, M.D., chairman of orthopedic surgery at NorthwesternUniversity Feinberg School of Medicine. "This can cause chronic painover time."
Save your back by toting your bag on the right on your way towork and on your left when you head home, or vice versa, so yourmuscles bear the brunt evenly.
Trimming your bag of excess pounds also helps. The AmericanChiropractic Association advises that a shoulder bag weigh no more than10 percent of your body weight, but today's plus-size purses may easilyexceed that. At the end of every week, clear out all nonessentialitems. It will lighten your physical-and mental-load.
For added comfort, choose a bag with a wide, adjustable strap
Source: Shape. Provided byProQuest Information and Learning. Powered by Yellowbrix.
