After the physical therapist had given her diagnosis, I thanked her, stood up, and slung my purse over my shoulder. She cocked her head with a "hmm" kind of look on her face, and asked, "Do you always carry that purse like that?"
I have carried a purse since I was in the 8th grade. My purses have held all kinds of things that I think I might need during a typical day. Of course there's the obvious things, like the wallet, cell phone, and keys, but also other things - an assortment of OTC meds (Benadryl, Sudafed, Ibuprofen, & Immodium), cough drops, allergy eye drops, contact lens solution, nail clippers, lip balm, hand lotion, hairbrush, hairbands, etc. I remember once cleaning out my purse and I even had a clean pair of socks in there. What the heck was I carrying those for everywhere I went?
The PT's question caused me to remember something my daughter once asked me when she was in preschool. We were shopping for summer shorts for her. She asked, "Mommy, why don't girls' shorts have good pockets?" She was used to seeing her dad and brothers wear cargo shorts. I thought a moment and responded, "I guess because they want us to buy purses, too." Just like our personal possessions seem to expand to fill the available space in our homes, so it was with my purse.
It wasn't really all THAT heavy, but the way I wore it on my shoulder caused me to tense that shoulder and back muscle the entire time I carried it. This particular purse also had regular handles in addition to the shoulder strap, so I decided to try two different things - carrying it by the shoulder strap across my body (instead of hung on the right shoulder) or carrying it by the handles instead.
That change (plus massage to help loosen my tight muscles) did help, but then one day I thought, "Why AM I carrying all these things around on my person? When is the last time I really needed most of these things immediately?" I realized I've probably only used my hand lotion once in 5 years.
I pulled every last thing out of my purse for evaluation. I asked myself, "If I were traveling, which of these things might I need at a moment's notice that I couldn't go back to the car to get or that I couldn't buy at a nearby store?" When it came down to it, the only things that made the cut were my driver's license, credit card, health & car insurance cards, AAA card, and cash - pretty much what my husband carries with him in a wallet in his pocket. HE doesn't carry all that extra stuff. Why did I?
I decided to try carrying only a wallet. Fortunately, my cell phone fits in most of my pants pockets, so I figured I'd buy a small wallet and carry it in my other pocket. However, the first ones I saw were considerably bigger and thicker than my phone, and when I tried stuffing one in my pocket, it wouldn't go in. (I'm sure Kohl's security was probably watching me closely at this point.)
Then I found some wallets with long shoulder straps. Eureka! I bought two. Here's the one I carry with me on trips (because it zips up in addition to snapping shut.)
When I leave the house now, I generally still put my old purse in the trunk of the car with all those little "possible necessities" inside, but that's where it stays - in the trunk. Upon exiting the car, I only carry my wallet, which weighs mere ounces, strapped across my body. If I'm traveling by plane or train, I completely leave at home the old purse with all its contents, except the OTC meds, which go in my luggage.
Since making this change many months ago, there have been a few occasions where I had to buy a small package of Ibuprofen or Benadryl while sightseeing, but not many. Ditching the big purse has turned out not to be a disruption to my life.
If you Google "purse causing shoulder pain," you will find all kinds of articles about how it can tense up those muscles in your shoulder and back. So if you're carrying a heavy one - or even a moderately heavy one - I'd encourage you to take a step back and see what you really need and see how you might carry it differently. To be clear, I'm not saying you need to carry as little as I do, as everyone's needs and situations are different.
And who knows... could I start a fashion revolution and start demanding better pockets for women?
Since I'm not known for my fashion sense (I'm carrying a black wallet in June, after all) and you never see me on the red carpet, probably not. So we'll just have make do with the options we've got. I have been pain-free since lightening the daily load on my shoulder.
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