Luggage: Which style to minimize body stress?
Does the thought of travel make your back or shoulder cringe? Each type of luggage has its own pro’s and con’s related to stress to your body.
Which is right for you? Depends on several factors. Some of the pro’s and con’s are discussed below to help guide your decisions.
None of the luggage options seem quite right? We are here to help improve how your arms and core work together, so you’re best equipped to hit the road pain and stress free.
Traditional Wheeled Bags
Pros
- Most efficient
- Less impact to body
Watch out if you have –
- Shoulder issues including rotator cuff
- Wrist or thumb stress with holding handle
- Elbow stress when arm is straight
Free-Wheeler Push Bag
Pros
- Uses locked wrist, elbow and shoulder to guide instead of the pull on shoulder (above)
- May be less stressful because core is used in the push motion
- Easier to navigate tight spaces
Watch out if you have –
- Elbow issues since the elbow is the focal point of forces used in both guiding and pushing
- Arms and shoulders fatigue easily as the muscles in the forearm and shoulder are in an isometric contraction for a long time
Tote Bag
Pros
- Easy to navigate, especially on stairs and uneven surfaces
- Balanced stress on each right and left arms and shoulders
Watch out if you have –
- Elbow issues as the weight of the bags elongates the muscles at the elbow and can over-stretch if holding for a long period
- Neck issues as the downward force of the bags puts downward stress at the neck
Back Pack
Pros
- Easiest to navigate through tight spaces, stairs and on uneven surfaces
- Balanced stress on shoulders.
- Minimal stress on elbows and wrists
Watch out if you have –
- Swinging the back pack on/off which can stress the wrists
- Shoulders and back can tire faster with more weight in the pack
A Unique Process to Get You on the Road Safer and with Less Pain
- Arms and shoulders hurt every time you travel?
- Alternated bags and can’t find one that doesn’t bother you?
- Had to pull/push/tote/carry your bag a little too much for your body to recover?
We look at how your head, core and limbs currently move taking into account your entire injury and functional history. Then we compare these findings to how they are naturally supposed to work together. The relationships causing your pain are typically not the location of the stress.
Studying you from the ground up, our analytical process leads us to the missing piece of your puzzle and why you are still feeling stressed.
We use the gentle Bridging technique movements to re-set the impacted movement relationships, and then match up how your left and right sides work together. This allows you to return to moving easily and pain-free!
