Bend over 'bagwards'

If you're considering buying an oversize designer handbag, don't forget to put a little extra aside. You may need it to pay the osteopath and chiropractor when your back gives.

Carrying oversized bags may be all the rage, however the fashionable accessory be seem a lot less trendy when you realise it could seriously damage your spine, health experts say.

 

Women risk causing permanent damage by carrying overstuffed bags on one shoulder or in the crook of their arm. Even carrying a bag in your hand, like actress Katie Holmes, with her ?4,000 Hermes HAC tote, risks putting too much strain on one side of the body.

 

It is thought the average woman carries around 5.2lb in her handbag - twice as much as the previous generations. Laptops, personal stereos, and makeup, come with added weight. Osteopath and acupuncturist Garry Trainer said he has noticed more women coming to his clinic with back strain.

 

"If a heavy bag is carried constantly on the same shoulder then it can compress the muscles on one side while stretching the muscles on the other," he said. "Ideally weight should be carried across both shoulders close to the body. People do carry the kitchen sink in their bags and they should try and cut down what they carry around."

 

The trend for big bags is said to have taken off with U.S. stylist Rachel Zoe who thought they had the effect of making the carrier look petite in comparison, according to Agencies.