***Please do not post unless you have read all of my information and have a valid and helpful answer.***

I’m suddenly having joint pain where I’ve had none before, could certain factors be causing it without me realizing it?

(I originally was going to ask "Could my purse cause me shoulder pain?" so forgive me for making so many refferences to purses, lol)

My left shoulder has been hurting for a few months, usually in the first half hour after I wake up, and between 1-2 hours before I go to sleep. I was out shopping today and noticed that the shoulder that has been hurting is also the one on which I perch my purse.

I’ve had this purse quite a while and have carried purses on my left shoulder (and tucked a bit under and behind my left arm) for years. The purse itself isn’t very heavy in my opinion and the single strap is about 2 inches wide and very flexible. When I switched my purse to my right shoulder I noticed that my posture was a little out of whack as I tried to balance the strap so the bag wouldn’t slip off. I started wondering if maybe my attempt at keeping it on my left shoulder was throwing off my posture, and that I was so used to it, that I simply haven’t noticed before.

Also, due to a housing situation, I switched from sleeping on a twin mattress to an old futon. There isn’t enough room where the futon is to pull it into a flat position, so I sleep in it’s "couch" form, it’s folded at about a 90 degree angle but tilted back so that the middle is technically the lowest spot. I’ve been sleeping on the futon for about 8 months. I never really got around to getting a new mattress. I started having neck and shoulder stiffness about 2-3 months ago, and I’m starting to experience pain in my hip or upper thigh joints and lower back.

I’m only 21 but I feel more like 121 sometimes. I really don’t like medication (I’d like to fix the problem rather than just cover it up), so I rarely use pain relievers.

Are there some tips on how to make my pain go away? How can I fix my posture when walking? Should I switch back to a regular mattress and go so far as to switch purses? Does carrying my purse affect my posture? If so, how do I fix my posture while carrying my bag? Because I have pain and stiffness, are there some stretches I should be doing or something, and if so, what are they and how do I do them? How do I know if it’s bad enough to go to a doctor?

My pathetic list of pains is: most often my left shoulder, sometimes my lower or entire neck and upper back, sometimes my lower back, and lower hip - upper thigh area when I lay down.