Take a Load Off!
I’m convinced we humans have become modern day pack mules. Not only are our vehicles brimming with “stuff,” but we also make it common practice to haul around excessive “supplies” wherever we go. As a result, women’s handbags, students’ backpacks, and working peoples’ briefcases have had to grow in size in order to accommodate the large inventory lug around with us!
As a physical therapist, I often find myself educating patients with neck, back, shoulder, arm, or hand pain to carry less and to carry smarter. Today there are so many fashionable options for men, women, and students which enable us all to look the part while carrying smart. We’d be foolish not to take advantage of them.
Parents of backpack wearers—lend me your ear. To avoid unbalanced forces on your child’s developing spine, they should use both straps of their backpack to evenly distribute the weight of their load. Secondly, because backpacks tend to make the wearer slump forward under their weight, an even better option is a messenger bag—with a long strap which is worn diagonally across the trunk.
Ladies, handbags were originally meant to be minimalistic totes (hence the term HAND-bag), not a form of daily luggage. Might I suggest that you downsize the number of items you carry around, and put all those other “must haves” into a separate car tote which stays in your car. Do yourself a second favor by purchasing a cross-body handbag. It will free your hand from excessive grasping, or your shoulder from having to hike up to your ear in order to maintain its position atop your shoulder. Additionally, it distributes the weight of the bag’s contents across your midsection, decreasing the strain on your spine.
Lastly, if you use a briefcase, consider either a rolling briefcase (my personal favorite for heavier loads) or purchase a laptop-sized satchel/messenger bag with a cross body-type strap. Make sure you run the strap diagonally across your trunk as described in the handbag paragraph above.