Wallets are causing men excruciating pain
and it has nothing to do with a lack of
cash.
Physiotherapists say they have seen a
surge in the number of men complaining of
lower back pain and the lowly wallet is
their chief suspect.
Experts say men who sit down with their
wallets in their back trouser pocket risk
damaging key nerves.
The condition is becoming so common that it
has even been given its own name -
hip-pocket syndrome or wallet-neuropathy.
Men who drive with their wallet stuffed
into their back trouser pocket appear to be
most at risk.
"Take your wallet out of
your back pocket. Put it in your jacket
pocket or somewhere else"
Julian Firth,
physiotherapist
More cases
"I've noticed more and more patients
coming into my clinic with this condition
and many of my colleagues have also noticed
an increase," Julian Firth, a
physiotherapist in Buckhurst Hill, Essex,
told BBC News Online.
The condition is triggered by the wallet
pressing on nerves in the back. Over time
this can cause sciatica.
This can lead to pain or numbness in the
lower leg, ankle or foot. Walking, sitting
and lying down can become extremely painful.
Some people can only find relief when they
stand still.
"The wallet presses up on the nerves.
This is most likely to happen when people
are driving but it can also happen when
people are sitting at work," said Mr Firth.
In pain? A lack of cash is
not always to blame
|
Physiotherapists recommend that people with
the condition remove their wallet from their
back pockets. In some cases this can be
enough to stop the pain. Others, however,
will require expert treatment.
"Anyone who thinks they may have the
condition should first of all seek
physiotherapy advice," Mr Firth said.
"Physiotherapists can give them advice on
exercises to relieve the pain."
But by far the easiest way to deal with
the condition is to stop it from happening
in the first place.
"The simplest way to protect yourself
against this is to take your wallet out of
your back pocket. Put it in your jacket
pocket or somewhere else," said Mr. Firth.
