Balance point of bow

[piaffe]

It seems that knowing the balance point of a bow you're thinking of purchasing can be helpful in one regard.  

 

I had a cello teacher who developed significant shoulder problems while using a bow which had a balance point much closer to the tip than "normal."  (Well beyond 9 1/2" inches.)  Once the bow was traded in, the shoulder problems subsided.  The tip-heavy bow, even though it was not heavy by weight, seems to have been the culprit in this particular case.