A Giant Wallet Can Mean Giant Problems

Most of our patients think having a fat wallet is great. Maybe you’re even one to have wads of cash on your at all times. We’re not knocking it, but we suggest you find someplace else to carry your dough than stuffed into your back pant pocket.

If you’ve been suffering from back pain, perhaps the filing cabinet in your back pocket is to blame. Hip-pocket syndrome and wallet sciatica are very real. Here are our tips to avoid back pain associated with big wallets.

Is your wallet a friend or foe?

Wallets certainly do a lot for us. They carry our cash, credit cards, and stock of loyalty cards that haven’t been used in the last 5 years. We get it — it’s difficult to let go. But for the sake of your back, you just might have to!

No matter the volume of your wallet, it’s not a good idea to sit on it all day. When you do, you create asymmetry in your hips and pelvis, which can cause low back and leg pain. The imbalance can impact your body from neck to back to buttocks, because each part of your body will try to compensate for the uneven tilt of your pelvis and hips.

If you allow this to go on for a long period of time, it can result in problems with your spinal discs, spinal joints, and muscles and eventually lead to pain, dysfunction, and even degenerative issues over time.

If you allow this to continue over an extended period, it can cause problems with your spinal joints, spinal discs, and muscles, eventually leading to dysfunction, pain, or even degenerative issues over time.

So what’s the solution? Not switching your wallet to your front pocket! When you sit with your wallet in your front pocket, it can cause a pinch between your thigh and torso that may cause pain. To avoid all of that unnecessary discomfort, simply take your wallet out of your pocket while sitting down.

So, what now?

So a wallet as thick as a brick just isn’t going to cut it. Here are our suggestions:

• Try using a minimalist wallet - This type of wallet doesn’t have the room to accumulate so much stuff. It also fits easily in your shirt front or jacket pocket.
• An money clip - Keep it simple and classic with a money clip. The whole point is to carry less stuff!
• Go without a wallet- Text neck is a downfall of technology, but one of the perks are that you can use many different forms of payment that don’t require you to carry any cards or cash.

Don’t let your wallet get you down. Start creating new healthy habits to help relieve your back pain, and remember to keep up with regular adjustments here at Williamsburg Chiropractic!