Lets play a fun little game that might help you live with less neck pain…
Take a quick look down by your feet, on the sofa next to you…wherever your bag may be, take a quick look….
I’m going to take a guess and say your bag is either big, heavy, or both?
(This goes for both men and women by the way – it’s not just women any more who carry large, heavy bags around with them!)
Anyway, I may be wrong, your bag might not fit these descriptions at all, but the reason why I guessed it might is because over the years, almost every patient that walks into my clinic, has had with them a big bag, (or at least one packed full of bits and pieces).
So, it’s no surprise that during my time as a Physio, one of the most common injuries I see is neck pain.
And without even realising it, carrying a bag, can cause this.
I remember when one of my patients Heather came to see me. She was telling me about having discomfort in her neck…
I looked over to the corner of the room, spotted her bag, asked if I could see how heavy it was, and it weighed a ton!
No wonder why she was in agony.
But when Heather finally changed her over-sized handbag, had some Physio and swapped it for something smaller carrying a lot less weight, her neck pain eased off and no longer caused her discomfort.
So, if you’re currently carrying around a heavy bag with you, my advice to you, would be to clean out the bag you use most often once a month, and make it a bit lighter!
The amount of items we can end up storing in them, is crazy!
When I got my mum to do this, she had receipts from over a year ago in there, a heavy purse with more coppers than I’ve seen in a long time and even a make-up bag full of every single lipstick she owned!!
Now, I’m not saying yours will be as full as my mum’s, but I can assure you that if you have a bag clear out, and use all of the pockets to distribute the weight evenly – you’ll feel a difference.
Another thing to remember with keeping the weight even is, if you do have a backpack, use both of the straps. Otherwise if one strap is the only option for you, try to swap sides regularly, so there’s no risk of strain.
A Physio Therapist can also help you find the best bag suited to your body type, so you no longer have to worry if you’re carrying your bag the correct way or not, and avoid neck pain as much as possible.
If you’d like more tips like this, click here to download your free report, which includes several ways to avoid neck pain: http://www.paulgoughphysio.com/neck-shoulder-pain
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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