Are men being weighed down?
Dated: 14 March 2011
- The British Chiropractic Association looks into what is weighing men down -
The man bag has been growing in popularity since the rise of the metrosexual male made famous by the likes of footballers like David Beckham, model David Gandy, or movie stars like Robert Downey Jr and Hugh Jackman.
As much as they are a functional fashion accessory, these bags could be doing harm to your back and shoulders, as men load them up with life’s daily essentials – from phones to books and computers.
With technology moving towards digital platforms, men need various ways of accessing the internet world – but this also means carrying more with them. Gone are the days when a man would leave his home with just his keys and wallet.
Tim Hutchful from the British Chiropractic Association comments: “Man Bags are now a necessity for many men during their daily lives, but they could cause back and shoulder pain from prolonged stress, this can also impact posture. The bags serve a purpose so we need to become more savvy in how we use them, whilst learning to read our bodies and know when we’re placing too much pressure on certain points.”
However, with new advice from the British Chiropractic Association, you can now stride forward without the man bag pain weighing you down:
If you carry an over-the-shoulder style bag, alternate between both shoulders so the weight and pressure is distributed equally between them. It is also advisable to keep the strap as short as possible. IIf you carry a laptop use a rucksack design laptop case, carry it on both shoulders and adjust the straps so that the bag is held close to your back
Stand comfortably when carrying your bag. Avoid long periods of being in one position, move around regularly and stretch and exercise your back muscles regularly
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Ensure you take regular breaks so that you don’t tire yourself out too soon from fatigue
Don’t carry so many items in your bag all the time, only pack what you need
The single, most important piece of advice f is to take a break from carrying your bag, and not to carry it from prolonged periods of time.
The BCA has also devised a simple three minute exercise routine called Straighten Up UK. This can be incorporated into our daily lives to help strengthen the spine and improve posture. The exercise routine is available to download from www.straightenupuk.org