Purses are a necessity for most women, but they may be a contributing factor to back and shoulder pains. Ways to alleviate the potential damage from a person is to carry a cross-body purse, make sure the weight of the purse is less than 10% of the person’s total body weight, remove all non-essential items, and consider using a backpack instead of a purse.

Key Takeaways:

• Purses that help you carry it all are fashionable and practical, but can result in real shoulder or neck pain for women of all ages.
• Experts suggest carrying your purse across your body and not on your elbow.
• Doctors say you should stick with the 10 percent rule, meaning that a 140-pound woman should not have a purse that weighs more than 14 pounds.

“Backpacks are another issue since kids don’t have a say in how big their textbooks are, so make sure the backpack itself isn’t too big or heavy.”

http://kfor.com/2016/08/24/experts-your-purse-may-be-causing-your-back-pain/