For some people, carrying a bag of some type is a part of their everyday life. For a woman, it might be their purse, and for a student, it is probably their backpack. While these bags can be a great convenience, they can also lead to pain issues.

When it comes to pain from things like backpacks and purses, it generally comes down to two things: carrying the bag the wrong way and overloading the bag with too much weight. When a bag is overloaded or carried incorrectly, it can lead to aches and pains in the shoulders, neck, back, and arms.

If you want to prevent these pains, the first thing that you need to do is reduce the amount of weight in the bag. For many people that carry bags, it is just the problem of letting items accumulate. Over time, they add things to the bag and then fail to remove them when they are no longer needed. Empty the bag and evaluate every item before it goes back in. If it is unnecessary to carry it with you, then leave it out.

If you wear a backpack, use both shoulder straps. Don’t just sling it over one side. Further, you want to make sure that the straps are tight. The pack should be close to your body, not hanging off. For purses, you need to switch sides frequently. Keeping it on the one side will cause problems. Additionally, wearing the bag diagonally across your body is better than just letting it hang down from the one shoulder.