All You Need to Know to tackle this Condition – Being in the present situation of COVID-19 Pandemic, people have been compelled to work from home. But sadly only work came home and not our preferred Workstation; forcing many people to work on not very ideal workstation like sofa, couches and even beds. “These sitting area leads to bad posture further exacerbating the degenerative changes or wear and tear. You end up slouching, rounding up your shoulder putting your head forward” said Dr. Sheetal Rane, head-physiotherapist at Bhatia Hospital Mumbai.
Long hours of sitting and maintaining one posture increases pressure on intervertebral disc. “This eventually leads to undue strain on the tissue which may result in chromic back and neck pain including Spondylitis,” she added.
However, people many of the times gets confused between the terms ‘spondylitis’ and ‘spondylosis’ as they sound way similar and share many symptoms. But, they are separate conditions with important difference.
Spondylitis is an inflammatory condition caused by the immune system acting against the joint and the other soft tissues, whereas Spondylosis or spinal osteoarthritis is not inflammatory and is caused by normal “wear and tear” or as a part of ageing process. “Spondylosis is common and become increasingly prevalent with age. Wear and tear are normal and quite common. It usually goes unnoticed as the body’s soft tissue recovery and repair happens simultaneously. However, as the wear and tear outrun the soft tissue recovery process, symptoms starts preventing. Previous injuries, bad postures may exacerbate or accelerate these degenerative changes,” said Dr. Rane.
The most common problem that a person have is pain and stiffness. You may also get muscle pull and weakness. The symptoms occurs according to the age and the location of the spondylitis. “In significant measures, it can cause pressure on the surrounding neural structures and cause symptoms like numbness, tingling, pain that radiates down the arms or legs and weakness of the muscles,” Dr Rane mentioned.
PREVENTION:
Build Your Workstation
A comfortable chair with adjustable height is what you need. Your feet must be flat on the floor and not hanging above the ground. The chair must have back support, with a small towel roll or a soft pillow to rest the lower back. The computer screen must be in such a level that the upper part of the screen should be parallel to the eye and 16 to 30 inches away. Forearms should be maintained in a comfortable position.
Small Breaks and Stretching
Keep on taking breaks of 2 or 5 minutes in every 60 minutes. Take a break from the position you are in. walk around for a bit. Do some stretching exercise for legs and back during the break.
Improve Your Posture
Always make an effort to improve your posture. Sit tall aligning your ears shoulder and hips in a perpendicular direction. Sit an inch taller frequently.
Keep Physical Fitness
Physical fitness can help a lot to avoid and treat many problem related to long hours of sitting and use of laptops and computer. It enhance strength endurance and flexibility, the World Health Organization (WHO) advised maximum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week for better health. It also helps you to minimize weight gain. Some of the exercises are running, swimming, aerobics, yoga, cycling or even slow jogging and walking would work.
Treatment
It is necessary that you consult a doctor if you experience constant pain, numbness, weakness, and face problems that interfere with daily activities, said Dr Rane. “In acute stages of pain, rest is the beneficial, following which you can start with posture correction exercise and stretching. The physiotherapist will gradually progress your exercise to strengthening,” mentioned Dr Rane.
Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world at The TLC News. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of Sports & health.
