Patients are under the misconception that muscle and joint pain is primarily from activities such as gym or running. The truth is the majority of muscle and joint pain is derived from daily activities involving lifting, handling or poor posture.

Looking down at your phone

Your neck supports the weight of a head three times its normal size. As the muscles work harder to support the load, they get tired more quickly, causing aching and stiffness in the neck.

Typing on a keyboard

During the course of a working day, your fingers can cover 4.8km as they move around your keyboard, the prolonged and repetitive movements affect the muscles that control the hands and wrists.

Poor posture

Over time the stress that poor posture places on your spine can lead to anatomical changes in your spine. This in turn can provoke back pain through the constriction of your blood vessels and nerves. In addition, the stress from poor posture can lead to back pain by causing problems with your muscles, discs, and joints.

The weekly shop or carrying children

The more you lift at one time, the more stress you put on your body and increase the chance of overloading your muscles and joints – eventually causing pain or injury.

Walking

Overloading areas that aren’t used to the stress and strain involved, either by walking further than normal or by compensating due to weakness, poor control or previous injury – so you end up walking differently.

Housework

Vacuuming, dusting, washing and tidying – involve a complete mixture of movements and stresses with varying physical demands.

Sleeping on ones stomach

Is bad for to your neck and back, as it places a certain amount of strain and pressure on your spine.

Immobility

Muscles are adversely affected with weakness and atrophy as a result of immobility.

Driving

The position in which you sit at the steering wheel along with vibrations from the car works the muscles in your neck and shoulders harder than normal.

Article written by EPT – The Ultimate Sports Recovery Experts