“Finally, the workday is over! I collect my things, I leave the desk ready for tomorrow and I go. Uff, today I don’t feel my legs, I haven’t gotten up from my chair for more than 5 hours straight and now, when I get up, I realize that my first steps are slower than normal. Well, I’ll improve the rhythm.”
Do you feel identified with this situation?
We spend many hours sitting in front of a computer without exercising our legs, and this, in the medium and long term, can affect our blood circulation and also our muscles. In such a case, we would be talking about what is known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
Musculoskeletal disorders typically affect the back, neck, shoulders, and upper extremities, although they can also affect the lower extremities. They include any damage or disorder of the joints and other tissues. Health problems range from small aches and pains to more serious medical conditions that force them to request sick leave and even receive medical treatment. In the most chronic cases, they can result in disability and the need to stop working.
The two main groups of MSDs are back pain and injuries and upper extremity occupational disorders which are commonly known as repetitive motion injuries.
Most work-related MSDs develop over time. Normally there is not a single cause of MSDs, but rather there are several factors that work together. Physical causes and risk factors in the work environment include:
- Handling loads, especially when bending and turning.
- Repetitive or forced movements.
- Strange or static postures.
- Vibrations, poor lighting or cold working environments.
- I work at a high pace.
- Standing or sitting for a long time in the same position.
Although they may seem like insignificant actions, getting up to pick up the phone, going to visit your coworker to talk to them about something instead of sending them an email, going up and down the stairs instead of taking the elevator or even getting up to go to the bathroom or drink water, are details that help to preserve your physical health during your workday.
However, the mere fact of carrying out these small activities does not justify that you cannot suffer injuries derived from your job. For this, it is also important to carry out a series of stretches to prevent this type of pain that can sometimes become chronic.
In this article we show you a routine with a series of stretches that you can do during your workday. These exercises can be practiced relatively frequently to prevent injuries.
Routine to perform in the work area:
Lateral flexion. Raise hand above head and lean torso to the right as far as possible for 5 seconds. Do it for the left side as well.
Bring your hands to shoulder level out to the sides. Raise your thumb and bring it up for two seconds and down for two seconds. Repeat for a total of eight times.
Extend the right hand up towards the sky, then flex the right elbow, trying to touch the fingers to the back with the palm of the hand facing in. Extend the left hand to the right elbow and slowly pull it to stretch the triceps and hold that position for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat the same for the left side.
Extend the right hand in full extension to the opposite side. With the left hand, slowly pull for 3 to 5 seconds to stretch the shoulder. Repeat for the left in the same way.
Do a hip flexion, lowering your back slowly until you are in a tabletop position. Extend the arms out in front and then drop the weight of the body, relaxing the back and shoulders. Repeat 2-3 times.
Put the arms behind the neck. Expand the elbows outward, making our shoulder blades want to meet, making a retraction. The chest to open simultaneously that our shoulder blades come together. The look should go up, like a greeting to the sun.
Extend arms up, bring right ankle above left knee. Repeat the same movement of exercise number 5. Perform the exercise with the opposite leg.
Bring the right leg over the left leg. Do a torso rotation to the right side. Look as far back as possible. Repeat for the left side, remember to switch the left leg over the right. Hold the position for 3-5 seconds.
Place your legs shoulder-width apart, while holding onto the chair with both hands. Perform a squat while looking forward. Repeat the same movement 3 to 5 times.
Performing the routine every 2 to 3 hours could be of great benefit to your body.
Don’t think about it anymore, your health comes first!
