Have you been sitting a lot more lately? You’re not alone. With nowhere to go and nothing to do it seems like we go from sitting at a desk all day to sitting on the couch watching tv all night. Unfortunately this is a great way to seriously screw up our muscles and cause pain, particularly back pain. Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and part of the reason is that we let it go for so long before even attempting to treat it. Pain of all kinds can be treated, and muscle pain can be treated by recognizing the weakness behind it and working to strengthen those muscles that are being compensated for.
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Muscle Pain Caused By Workplace Injuries
Muscle strain in the workplace is caused by repetitive motions, lack of physical activity, fatigue, accidents, and more. By taking a look at ergonomics and safety in our workplaces, many of these injuries can be prevented. If you sit at a desk all day, switch to a standing desk so you can vary sitting and standing throughout the day. If you are doing lifting and physical activity at your job, ensure you are lifting and moving in an efficient and safe manner.
Once an injury occurs, it needs to be fully addressed. Part of the problem with injuries is that they take a long time to heal, and people don’t have the ability to take all the time they need to get better.
Physical therapy is a tool that can help people work toward a life without pain. While visits with a PT provider may only happen once or twice a week, the exercises they give you can be done at home or work, significantly reducing your chances of sustaining further injuries.
Prolonged injuries that are left untreated lead to muscle pain, which happens when an injured body part has to be compensated for by other parts of the body. Pain in one area usually means weakness in another, so addressing that weakness can get you back to your normal level of functioning.
Tightness and weakness can be addressed through physical therapy, exercise, and massage, and often using all three together is the best approach. But the real key is keeping up with your exercises long after you leave PT or you run the risk of ending up in the same position again.
Making small adjustments to your daily life can have a major impact on your life and can prevent pain. Learn more about muscle pain and how to fix it from the infographic below.
