Women have purses to keep all their important (clutter) belongings in. Men have to keep their wallet, phone, change, keys and whatever else they have in their front and back pockets.

Do you keep your wallet or cell phone in your back pocket? When you go to sit down, do you take that wallet or phone out of your pocket? Most likely not! Think about how thick can wallets get and how big cell phones are. This can cause several different pains and problems.

Hip, Leg and Low Back Pain

When you sit on a wallet or phone, you make your hips uneven. Think of standing on a book with only one foot. This will cause one hip and leg to be higher than the other. Now think of how often we sit! Over time this can cause some serious issues.

• Sitting with one hip elevated creates an imbalance in your spine, which in turn places stress on the lumbar discs which can cause low back pain or muscle spasms.
• An object (such as a wallet or phone) pressing against your buttock can place pressure on your piriformis muscle and nerves. This can cause it to elicit pain which wraps around the hip, or go down your leg.

Crossing Your Legs

Now you may think I don’t sit with a wallet or phone in my back pocket. Do you ever cross your legs? This is the exact same thing as sitting on a phone or wallet. When you cross your legs you are hiking your leg and hip up, which does the exact same thing.

If you feel the need to cross your legs, cross at the ankles instead of the knees. (I like to call it the Miss America cross.) Plus its more lady like anyway.

What To Do About the Pain?

First off, take that phone, wallet or whatever else you have back there OUT OF YOUR BACK POCKET! 

Next, if the act of taking the object out of your pocket doesn’t make the problem you’re experiencing go away, try some low back exercises.

Last, when all that fails it’s time to see a CHIROPRACTOR!

Depending on how long you have been having low back, hip or leg issues will depend on how long it will take to get completely well. We have to reverse the damage caused by sitting on something or crossing your legs. The longer you put off getting your problems looked at, the longer it takes to get you well. Give us or your local chiropractor a call now!

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036