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Oversized bags can be a pain
Feature
Big bags are one of the biggest fashion trends for this season, and women love them. Unlike dainty, useless clutch bags, you can fit your purse, makeup bag, lunch, book, iPod and everything but the kitchen sink in a big beautiful bag. They might be trendy and practical, but medical experts worry that oversized bags can leave women with neck pain along with back and shoulder pain, headaches and joint problems.
These pains are a common occurrence in women and often the undiagnosed cause is a heavy bag. The bigger the bag, the more stuff women lug around with them. You almost feel obliged to put more in them as they look like an empty sack when they’re half empty.
Average bags can weigh anything between 7 and 10lbs, but with oversized bags they’re getting even heavier. Carrying a heavy weight, usually on the same shoulder, can easily cause an imbalance in the way women walk and stand.
If you always carry a hefty bag on your right shoulder, you are continually pulling your neck to one side and putting your shoulder into an unnatural position, which can place a strain on the nerves and muscles that run down the neck and down the shoulder. Lugging it around for a couple of hours a day can result in problems, if not immediately, then possibly later on.
Big loads can lead to muscle strain, arm pain, difficulty sleeping and neck spasms, warns physical therapist Mary Plunkett.
“If you have something pulling down one way, your head will move the other way or your shoulder will shrug and that overstretches some muscles,” Plunkett says.
This is also a concern for orthopaedic surgeons, who worry those consistently carrying a heavy bag can stretch the muscles surrounding the spine, leading to pain and discomfort.
You don’t have to have everything but the kitchen sink to risk causing pain or injury to your neck, back or shoulder. Experts warn that even carrying around your mobile phone, makeup bag, purse and a book may even be too much. If your oversized bag feels uncomfortable when you put it on, if you can feel it pulling on your shoulder or if it weighs more than just a few pounds, it is too heavy.
Dr Mohammad E Majd, an orthopaedic spinal surgeon, recommends that women lighten their oversized bags, use good posture and do strength-building exercises, such as push-ups or balance-ball workouts.
Experts advise that you choose bags that can be worn diagonally across the body or back packs, which spread the weight across both shoulders, helping to prevent imbalance. However, fashion tells you to buy an oversized bag to wear on one shoulder. One saving grace is the fact that fashion is fickle, which means that next year you will probably be buying into the next new look in accessories, which experts hope will be undersized bags.
Picture: Picture caption: They may look trendy, but carrying a big bag around all day could leave you with neck, back and shoulder problems.
MyVillage 23rd May
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