Be proactive to avoid repetitive movement injuries. This type of injury can affect people of all walks of life – not just athletes. Keep posture in check, have proper workstation ergonomics, and incorporate both strength building & recovery into workout routines to avoid stress injuries.
What are some common names for certain repetitive movement injuries?
Dr. Scott Gardner: There are really three main ones that I come across. Carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic neck pain – which now is being referred to as ‘text neck’ and also chronic low back pain.
Can you name some of the causes of these injuries?
Dr. Scott Gardner: Yes. Really the main causes are going to be poor posture – whether it is sitting, standing, sleeping, or where we spend most of our time – which is at work, then that also is going to involve poor workstation ergonomics then overuse of that particular area.
If someone is an athlete practicing the same sport over and over, how can they avoid a repetitive movement injury?
Dr. Scott Gardner: They may not be able to avoid a repetitive movement injury, so the athlete really needs to focus on preparing the body. Also on recovery. It is really not just enough to do a little stretch beforehand, but also including specific joint mobility exercises that are key to the movements that they are doing within that athletic activity. Then adding in things like a foam roller to help with sore muscles and things like that. Then also regular chiropractic care is definitely key.
How can people modify their day to day job functions or other activities to avoid repetitive movement injuries?
Dr. Scott Gardner: Just like with an athlete, we really need to prepare our bodies for each day. A professional athlete or even a high school athlete would never think about going on to the athletic field without preparing our body. We really need to do the same thing for ourselves each day. Really creating the proper work station set up. Especially for people that are on computers five, six, seven hours a day. With proper monitor placement and also proper keyboard placement then also doing specific stretches to the area that is really receiving the most stress from the activity that they are doing.
What treatments are available to help with these injuries?
Dr. Scott Gardner: Step one is accessing the injury and creating a program that includes chiropractic care, specific stretching of tighter muscles and strengthening weaker muscles. Also focusing on improving the workstation set-ups. We really want to make sure that we are doing a specific posture analysis so that we can really have a clear understanding as to what areas of the body are being overused on the day-to-day activity. Maybe even then, take X-rays to have a clear picture as to what is malfunctioning within the individual.
Learn More
If you are interested in speaking with Dr. Scott Gardner visit www.gardnerfamilychiro.com or call 973-614-9256 to schedule an appointment.
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