Ahh ... the price of fashion

How many of you have sacrificed comfort for fashion? Come on, admit it ... what's a little pain right? Especially when it comes to those gorgeous shoes, or that killer dress, or even that designer oversized handbag that's so in fashion right now.

There are a growing number of cases related to shoulder soreness and neck pain--- and it's mostly (if not all) due to women carrying large handbags (which of course are all the rage now). According to the New York Times article, Ouch! My Bag Is Killing Me, "doctors, massage therapists and chiropractors are tailoring treatments for the bag-obsessed" --- they don't dare tell their patients to ditch their oversized purses. As one doctor put it: "It's like telling a woman, 'You cannot wear Manolo Blahniks.' It's just not realistic." This is so true.

As much as we would like to make light of this, frankly, if you're getting MRI's and cortisone shots to alleviate the pain like one woman described in the article, then perhaps it is time to stop carrying so much. Permanent back damage is a very serious matter.

Though, if you still believe fashion is worth this, there are a couple of tips included in the article such as cleaning out your purse once a week and using "all the pockets so that the weight is dispensed evenly within the bag."