INJURY PREVENTION TIPS

First thing in the morning....  during the night when we are sleeping, our discs (cushions between each of our spinal bones) fill up with water.  We can be up to an inch taller in the morning due to this phenomenon.  As the day progresses with the assistance of gravity, this water gradually gets pushed out of the discs making us shorter by the end of the day.  If a disc has been injured or stressed over time, the fibers within the disc may be weakened.  The extra water in the disc in the morning may put additional stress on the tissues leaving it vulnerable to further injury.  In the morning make it a habit to walk around the house while you get ready to start your day.  This activity may "push" some of the extra water out reducing your chance of injury.  The longer drive a person may have to work the longer they should walk in the morning.  This should hold true for when you get to work.  Walk for a period of time prior to sitting at your desk and even longer before you begin any lifting activity.

During the day.... repetitive movements of our hands, arms, legs, or backs causes our muscles and joints to get tighter.  The tighter the area gets the weaker it gets... the weaker the tighter and so on.  This leaves the area more susceptible to injury.  Many times the job task is rather simple such as sitting, typing, or writing.  It is not always a high intensity job task that leads to injury. It is repetition that leads to an injury.  The solution...?  Break up the monotony of the task.  20 seconds rest with some gentle stretching every 20 minutes will reduce the accumulative effects of repetitive strain on muscles and joints.  Studies have shown that this rest period actually increase productivity.  Every 20 minutes spend 20 seconds performing some of the stretches that you can find throughout our website that are appropriate for your job task.  If there are questions regarding these stretches you can get further information by contacting us via email using this website.

End of the day... during the work day the suggestion is to stretch for 20 seconds every 20 minutesfocussing on the muscles you use most.  At the end of the day when you are relaxing at home is a great time to be more comprehensive in your stretching.  Expand the focus to include areas you did not stretch during the day and increase the length of time that you hold the stretches that you have done during the day.  One piece of inexpensive exercise equipment we ofetn suggest to our patients is the "Swiss Exercise Ball".  It looks like a giant beach ball.  These can be be found at local sports stores as well as the "superstores".  These can be used for a variety of stretching, strengthening, and balance exercises.  They are excellent at increasing back strength and stability.