Whether it is the payment of your bills or striving for your dream job, work-life, including providing for your family can play an important role in your overall health. And it is detrimental in most cases.
The North American Spine Society ranked the jobs they consider the most “back-breaking" and counterproductive for health. Find out what spine experts have to say about the top 10 noxious and adverse elements and get tips on how to save your spine and get on with your job.
1st Is A Driver
Spine experts believe that incessant driving hurts your neck the most. With the advent of passenger services like Lyft and Uber, suddenly thousands of amateur drivers are adopting this profession, sitting in the car for several hours, carrying luggage and suffering from this pain.
- Tips for spine protection: Before starting the car make a comfortable driving environment. To prevent slouching, adjust the seat to a 100-degree angle, and sit closer to the steering wheel to slightly bend your elbows. Use a pillow or rolled towel at the lower of your back for extra support.
2nd Is Construction Worker
The construction work will severely erode the human body. This work involves prolonged weight lifting, full-body shaking, and simultaneous lifting, twisting and bending, which can lead to muscle sprains and tension.
- Tips for spine protection:
If you work in the construction field, asking help can save your spine. If the material is heavier than 50 lbs, consider asking for help from other staff or using a cart. In addition, use a handlebar to attach the handle to the load with a profile. Also, use load-bearing tools with handles to hold loads of strange shapes.
3rd Is A Nurse
Nurses have to stand up mostly on their shifts and the stress can be very high in this type of job. Carrying heavy medical equipment, transferring patients, and bending down for assisting procedures can result in back or neck injuries.
- Tips for spine protection:
While resting, take a few minutes to do gentle exercises to stretch the spine, such as: bending your neck, rolling your shoulders and hamstring stretches. If your day is busy, just a few minutes of meditation can help alleviate the negative effects of stress.
Of course, office workers don't typically spend their time operating heavy machinery or lifting heavy items, but the other spectrum can also be harmful to your back. Keeping the same posture all day while sitting and looking at a computer screen can seriously affect your posture and make you unhappy at the end of each workday.
- Tips for spine protection:
Take some breaks during your work. Get up every hour from your chair, walk around the office, and stretch your muscles. Or buy a sit-stand table to boost you to change your position and posture all over the day.
5th Is Manual Worker
It is only the name of this profession that indicates back sprains, stress, and overall pain. Workers often lift heavy objects, utilize hand and power implements, do monotonous tasks, twist and bend, all of which are devastation for their neck and back.
- Tips for spine protection:
Your work equipment outweighs the heavy machinery used in the job. Wear gloves to protect your hand. Also, wear supportive shoes. Ask your doctor about wearing a back brace to avoid back problems that can arise at work".
6th Is Dental Doctor
The procedure performed by the dentist can keep them in the same posture for a long time, with the neck and upper back bent and twisted. Because of this, many people in this field suffer from pain and fatigue in the neck and upper back.
- Tips for spine protection: Good lighting and magnification bring your field of view closer. Keep your neck in a natural position instead of bending forward or down. If you have armchairs in your office then use them to give support to your forearms during these delicate procedures.
7th Is Warehouse Laborer
The job of the warehouse workers is very difficult. They often lift, push, and pull heavy objects for most of the day, which can damage the spine.
- Tips for spine protection:
Think before your action. Test the weight at an angle before lifting the load to avoid injuries. If the item is too heavy, please use a trolley or forklift or contact a colleague. Try wearing gloves to protect your hands and increase your grip on the object. Also, try to wear supportive shoes.
8th Is Auto Mechanic
Working on a car involves a lot of twisting, bending, and back curving. These actions place the spine in an uncomfortable position that can cause discomfort and damage to the back or muscles.
- Tips for spine protection:
When you are under the car or its hood, get closer to the work area or to that part you are working on to avoid damaging your back muscles.
9th Is The Factory Worker
Workers often do work that requires them to perform the same physical movements over a long period, resulting in exhaustion and fatigue of back and muscles. Illness associated with performing the same routine actions continually is termed as a repeated movement disorder.
- Tips for spine protection:
Take occasional breaks to check your posture. Relax your shoulders and straighten your back. If possible then diversify your duties, do it. This helps you to use alternative muscles during the workday without strengthening the same muscles.
10th Is Motherhood And Child Care
From childbirth and breastfeeding to carrying a baby and pulling a heavy diaper bag all day, paternity can damage your spine health.
- Tips for spine protection:
Reconsider your diaper bag. Use a backpack style diaper bag instead of the traditional one shoulder diaper bag for better weight sharing. In addition, buying a comfortable baby carrier can reduce the stress on the spine.
The Takeaway
In addition to the professions mentioned above, workstation design and work postures are also the reason for spinal problems. Even in a low stress job, the posture effect on the spine cannot be ignored. Finally, you cannot change your profession, but you can take some measures to stop the pain from becoming chronic.
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