When all of the weight of your bag or purse is carried on one shoulder, your natural gait is knocked out of balance. Proper gait is swinging your arms naturally in time with the opposite leg to keep your body balanced.
A large handbag on one shoulder hinders that arm from swinging properly making the other arm swing more and significantly interferes with a proper gait.
The unbalanced shift in posture that takes place to carry a weighted purse on the shoulder upsets the natural movement of the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the spine to compensate for the weight which can lead to headaches and neck and low back pain. This overcompensation can also affect your lower back and sacrum. As a result, muscles in your shoulder and neck become stiff, tight and spasm.
These simple adjustments may help you avoid injury:
- Reduce the weight of your bag or consider switching to a smaller purse.
- Switch sides every few minutes to alleviate overworked muscles and corrupt posture.
- Keep your abs engaged and your weight centered over your feet, shoulder blades down and back.
