Stiff neck? Achy shoulders? Stubborn knot in your upper back? If you’ve already ruled out bad sleep hygiene, tech neck or poor posture in the office, you may discover another culprit behind that nagging pain: The everyday tote bag—roomy, practical, and easy to overload—can quietly strain your spine, especially as its weight creeps up. Research shows that once a bag reaches around 15% of your body weight, its stress on your body rises significantly.
How do you know if your tote is causing you grief? DISC orthopedic spine surgeons Steven Girdler, MD and Brandon Hirsch, MD recently shared their expertise on the subject with Yahoo! Health.
The earliest sign is usually muscle pain or spasms, says Dr. Girdler in the story. If discomfort lingers for more than 24 hours after you’ve stopped carrying your bag — or you notice numbness, tingling, weakness in your arms or pain that radiates — it’s worth getting checked out by a professional.
If you find out your bag is, in fact, the problem and you still insist on using a tote, Dr. Girdler recommends seeking options with wide, padded straps. “A thin strap concentrates pressure in one spot, while a wider, padded strap helps distribute weight more evenly across your shoulder,” he explains.
Regardless of bag type, it’s also important to consider the bag’s weight, ideally keeping it under 10% of your own body weight. “Prolonged carrying of a bag that exceeds 10% of your body weight puts you at higher risk for issues like muscular strain,” he explains. Dr. Girdler also recommends switching shoulders every 30 minutes, no matter how light the bag feels.
Ultimately, however, your body will let you know what’s too heavy, Dr. Hirsch says. Does your bag cause discomfort? If the answer is yes, it’s too heavy. “Pain is your body's signal of stress on a joint, tendon or ligament,” he says.
Thankfully, carrying a heavy tote isn’t likely to cause permanent structural damage, but it can lead to longer-term issues. The main concern is asymmetry — consistently loading one side of your body can create ingrained postural changes over time, says Hirsch. The takeaway: The sooner you adjust your habits, the better.
Read the full Yahoo! Health article HERE for more.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Girdler HERE.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Hirsch HERE.