How Can A Woman's Purse Cause Shoulder Pain?

Dr. Cannada discusses how a woman's purse or backpack can contribute to shoulder pain?

Dr. Cannada:
Usually the women carry a backpack or purse that’s way too heavy, weighing over 10 to 20 pounds or more. Just to give you an idea, a gallon of milk is about 7 pounds, 7 or 8 pounds. Women’s purses are a lot heavier than a gallon of milk.

They have these big purses so they feel that because they have a big purse they have to stuff it. So they carry it on one side of their body and that, if you watch them walking from far away, you’ll see they are slumped to one side and that alters the rest of their gait, their hip, their back, every bone is connected.

So it’s not unusual to have pain, not only in the shoulder, but in other parts of your body because if you always carry it on one side. What you should do is alternate sides and also consider carrying it down at different times because when you are having it on your shoulder like this, and pulling that actually can stretch your nerves in your neck and lead to problems that way, too.

About Dr. Cannada, M.D.:
Dr. Lisa K. Cannada, M.D., is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon with an extensive background in teaching and orthopaedic trauma surgery. She completed her medical school at University of Maryland in 1996 and entered her residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland. She came back to Maryland for her trauma fellowship at the RA Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Maryland.

She worked at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia for three years before accepting a position at the University of Texas-Southwestern. She truly loves her career as an orthopaedic trauma surgeon and is a strong advocate for Women in Orthopaedic Surgery.

Visit Doctor Cannada at Saint Louis University