Are you working from home? Here are 10 tips to manage knee pain and back disorders
The COVID 19 pandemic has led to a
situation where a majority of people have begun to work from home. In most
cases, with domestic help not being available, they have to ‘work at home’ as
well as ‘work from home’ and cope with both domestic chores and office work.
For homemakers, the lack of domestic help has added to their workload. Among
other issues, one complaint that is emerging is an increase in their symptoms
and pain for many patients who are restricted to their homes, the most common
being back pain and knee pain.
An increase in workload is
contributing to this increase in pain. It is important for all members of the
family to participate and share domestic chores. If family members are not
supportive, then the onus falls on the homemaker who now has to care for a
larger number of people at home and spend more standing cooking in the kitchen
along with the burden of other household work. If there are only senior
citizens living alone, then many elderly patients cannot manage heavy physical
work at home, and their pain worsens.
Professionals working from
home end up sitting for longer periods of time, which can worsen their
pain. The lack of exercise arising from the closure of gyms, parks, walking
areas during lockdown has caused muscle weakness and led to many individuals
putting on weight.
Here are some 'work at home' tips
for those working from home:
- Avoid sitting for more than 30-60 minutes continuously. Take breaks, walk around and stretch a little.
- Make a regular schedule for basic stretching exercises at home. Some like to do this early in the morning, some prefer it to be in the evening. Find out what works for you best and fit it in your daily schedule.
- In the kitchen, avoid bending down while cooking or over the sink while washing dishes as this posture can aggravate back pain.
- Keep a footstool to rest one leg, and keep alternating your weight between each leg, so that when you bend, the stretch is taken off the back. Use floor mops, long handle brooms and stand, instead of bending/squatting while mopping the floor or sweeping.
- Get regular sleep. Good sleep ensures good health and reduces pain levels.
- Meditate for some time every day. This helps in two
ways - it helps to reduce pain levels, and also helps in coping with
stress during these times from the negative messages floating around.
7. Listen to your body. Pain is your body’s way of telling
you something is wrong. Do not push yourself when you have chronic pain,
because this may worsen your pain levels.
8. Use cold packs or warm packs for local application.
Avoid using very hot bags for a long period, as this can be harmful. Apply
these for a few minutes only, and repeat frequently.
9.Use lumbar belts or walking sticks even while inside
the house. This will support the back and take load off the knee.
10. Most important, do not hesitate to connect with your
doctors! Physical distancing is needed, but today technology allows us to
connect with doctors virtually on telemedicine. This will help in getting
the right advice to help you manage the pain in its early stages and
prevent it from worsening.
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