HEALTH & WELL-BEING
“High stress and anxiety can cause muscles to become so tight they experience chronic pain, stiffness, soreness and immobility.”
muscles to become so tight they experience chronic pain, stiffness, soreness and immobility. Additionally, tense muscles are more susceptible to being strained and damaged.
If you work in a stressful environment, you need to ensure you are doing regular light to moderate exercise to help loosen tight muscles and stretch, and take regular breaks from sitting at your desk.
If you already suffer from a sore back, speak to your HR team and ask for an ergonomic assessment to help you feel more comfortable.
Typing too much or straining to use a desk mouse
Frantic typing for long periods of time and keeping your mouse in a locked position could be causing conditions such as repetitive strain injury or carpal tunnel syndrome. Repetitive strain injury is caused when tendons are straining more than they should for long periods of time either due to movement repetition, a sustained awkward position or prolonged pressing against hard surfaces. This commonly occurs in the wrists due to overuse of a desk mouse.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused when there is excessive pressure on the
median nerve, which allows feeling and movement in parts of the hand. It is common for people to get this if they regularly type on a keyboard for long periods of time. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, numbness, tingling or weakness.
Tips to help protect you against these conditions include:
1. Keeping your wrists straight
2. Letting your hands float above the keyboard
3. Not straining your fingers when typing
Carrying heavy bags Carrying heavy bags on one shoulder on your commute can cause and reinforce muscle imbalances in the shoulders and spine. This causes neck and back pain, shoulder strain and fatigue because you are over compensating for the heavy weight. Imbalances can also affect the gait and the way your body moves. Some of my patients who regularly carry heavy bags on one shoulder also have an increased forward head posture and rounded shoulders.
If you have lots of heavy items to carry to and from work I recommend using backpacks which evenly distribute the weight on each side.
Natasha Price is a physiotherapist and managing director of central health physiotherapy at The Wellington Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK. To book an outpatient physiotherapy appointment at The Wellington Hospital call 020 7404 6343
www.focus-info.org FOCUS The Magazine 27
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