Does fat wallet really cause your back pain?
So many men carry around with them their bulky old leather wallets every day, we will all remember the episode of Seinfeld where George’s wallet got stuffed so full that he could not even close it. That episode might have overstated the case to make the point that the vast majority of men out there certainly do wedge way too much into that leather strap. That’s certainly not a comfortable thing to wedge in your pockets. A fat wallet really cause a bad back. Because most men keep their wallets in their back pockets. That’s fine when you are standing up, but sitting on your wallet for long periods can really cause some problems. When you sit in your back pocket with the fat wallet and you also sit on the sciatic nerve (a nerve that runs down your leg).
Researchers have found that a wallet in your back pocket can, surprisingly, cause such unpleasant phenomena as:
- back pain;
- neck muscles tension;
- back or feet numbness;
- sciatic nerve area aches.
Not only prolonged sitting or inappropriate footwear can be a source of back pain, but also a wallet full of bills, coins, and plastic cards. Uneven pressure distribution during sitting with this accessory in your back pocket leads to spine distortion and future problems. Scientists have found that a wallet changes pelvis and lumbar spine statics and can also cause idiopathic spinal cord herniation.
To carry a wallet in your back pocket , it will distort your posture and cause your spine to be out of alignment. It can also puts pressure on your piriformis muscle which aggravates the sciatic nerve and can lead to sciatica. Carrying a big, fat wad of cash in your pocket can cause a lot of trouble for your back. The problem starts when your sciatic nerve, which is right behind your hip joint, gets pinched between the wallet and your hip itself. Not only it will cause pain that starts from your hip, but send aches all the way down your leg. And the bigger your wallet, the more lopsided you’re forced to sit—and the achier you’ll end up. Over 85% of Americans suffer from back pain at some time in their life. Sometimes you'll know exactly what's causing it – not lifting with your knees, being hunched over a desk, that pickup game of tackle football. It also could be a mysterious discomfort that you notice getting worse and worse. Large wallets also have connection with sciatica, which is a syndrome that causes pain in the lower extremities.
Many doctors and physiotherapists advise that the best way to alleviate this pain is to make your wallet smaller by taking out unnecessary cards, old receipts and carrying as less cash as you can. By doing so, you’ll put less pressure on the sciatic nerve and the nerves of your back. And guys, carrying a big wallet not only looks bad, but also wear out your pants or even throw your back out.
To minimize the stress on your body, we recommends a slim wallet that holds only the essentials. You can also beat the bulk by using a money clip wallet. They fit in a jacket pocket or side pants pockets and don’t blow the flow of your clothes. It’s better to shrink the wallet now than to shrink it later with medical bills. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference!