How To Prevent Knee Pain When Working From Home
With more and more people working from home, taking care of your health is as
important as ever. On average, 1 in 4 adults struggles with knee pain,
and with remote work becoming more popular that number is trending up.
So how is working from home causing more knee pain?
A huge contributing factor is inactivity. Did you know that inactivity is actually hard
on your knees? It can lead to weakened knees, increased risk of arthritis,
and increased risk for osteoporosis.
Luckily there are some simple, easy things you can implement to stay active,
even while working from home (or from your work desk!) No matter where you
spend your 8-5, you can start on these quick tips to make sure you prevent knee
pain in the future.
The best and easiest way to ensure your knees aren’t inactive is to, well, be
active! You can do some light stretching throughout the day to relax your
muscles and ease your tension. You can also do some strengthening leg
exercises such as knee lifts, calf raises, and knee curls.
See below for a more thorough explanation:
Knee Lifts: Stand straight and lift your left knee to hip height, lower your knee
and repeat with the right knee. Alternate knees and continue for a few minutes.
Calf Raises: Stand straight and push up on the balls of your feet until
you’re almost on your tippy-toes, hold for 3 seconds then lower your feet
all the way back down so they’re flat on the floor. Repeat.
Knee Curls: Stand straight, bend your left leg back and hold your foot with your
left hand, you’ll feel the stretch in your thighs. Lower your left and repeat with
the other side.
Sitting for long periods of time can cause stress on your knees, especially the
cartilage surface. The more your knee is constricted, the more stiffness
and soreness you’re exposing yourself to. Luckily, an easy way to bypass this
is to make sure you have a good work chair. You’ll need to look for one
that has an adjustable height and that’ll allow you to move or flex your
knee more often. Also, look for a chair that will give you better posture.
The easiest solution to ensure you’re moving about is to take intentional
breaks throughout your day. Set a time every hour and stand and walk around
for a bit. It doesn’t have to be a long break, a minute at most will create a
big difference in your overall routine. Taking this simple measure will not
only make a difference when it comes to your knees but on your overall health.
Even though we can make all the correct changes on our own, sometimes
our knee pain will continue to bother us. Or you could have been taking
all the preventative measures and still end up with pain. Don’t allow yourself
to be discouraged or try to fix the problem on your own! Make sure to give
us a call and schedule an appointment to see what’s going on.
Call today to schedule your appointment 978-651-1812
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