Carry it on the bad side!

Patients with diseased hips often must carry objects while walking, yet they are rarely instructed which hand to use because little has been published on the subject. We sought to evaluate the situation mathematically by determining the hip forces that result when a load is carried in the ipsilateral versus the contralateral hand. Using a free-body diagram of single-leg supported stance, we found that when a load was carried in the contralateral hand, the resultant forces on the hip were increased considerably. Conversely, when the weight was carried in the ipsilateral hand, the forces were actually lower than when no weight was carried at all. Thus, carrying a weight on the opposite side resulted in hip forces that were substantially greater than when the weight was carried on the same side.