That terrible habit of sitting on wallets

Many people, especially men, place their wallet in their back pocket. Why not, right? It’s the main purpose of a back pocket.

It’s convenient, the wallet fits perfectly and you can easily reach for it at all times.

However, this habit is very, very terrible. As posture and spine experts, we simply don’t recommend you to do this.

Here’s why:

Most wallets are made with lots of compartments for us to be able to fill it with a lot of things. Bills, coins, cards, vouchers and receipts… you name it. The more items you have, the more your wallet gets ‘fat’ and bulky.

Now, the problem starts when you actually sit on your fat and bulky wallet.

Imagine having it placed under one side of your pelvis while you are sitting. One side of your pelvis is now higher than the other instead of being nice and balanced. This distorts your overall posture, twists your hips, puts pressure on your spine and causes it to be out of alignment.

Let’s not also forgot how much time we spend everyday sitting– whether it be while at work, sitting in the car or even while eating lunch at the cafe. This means our body is being forced to maintain its balance in this stressful position for hours every single day.

Over the long term, this can result in pain and chronic low back conditions. The sciatic nerve can also become irritated due to the compressed tissues on the buttocks area. This can cause symptoms such as leg pain, tingling and numbness.

How do we address this habit?

You might be thinking that putting your wallet in your front pocket is a better idea, but it’s not. Putting it there can still cause a pinch between your upper torso and thigh—especially when you are driving. This still leads to discomfort so, not much of a good idea.

The best solution so far is to take the wallet out of your pants when you sit down or drive. Simple as that. Now you can take your wallet anywhere without wrecking your back.

And if you are still feeling any back pain, hip pain or any numbness on your legs…

You might want to try chiropractic! These issues are actually correctable through posture assessments and chiropractic adjustments. Our chiropractors always look at the big picture to find and correct the root cause of your problem. We are confident you’ll see the improvement you’re looking for!