Three Ways To Avoid Overuse Injuries

Health & Medical Blog

Your job, hobbies, and even the work that you do around the house can potentially lead to muscle pain from overuse injuries. It's easy to get into the habit of repeating movements in the same manner, but this can leave you nursing sore muscles. Initially, the soreness may go away on its own after you rest for a bit. For example, you might feel fine the following morning after a sound night of sleeping. But, you can eventually reach a point at which the pain continues to nag you, prompting you to seek medical care for treatment. Here are three habits that you should adopt to avoid overuse injuries.

Change How You Move

Changing how you move can be an effective way to avoid overuse injuries. For example, if you're a photographer, you might not think that your job is very physically demanding or apt to cause you pain. However, the manner in which you carry your heavy camera gear, especially on an ongoing basis, can lead to muscle pain. If you typically sling your camera over your right shoulder, the muscles on this side of your body could become sore. Instead, alternate shoulders. Each time you use your camera, hang it from the opposite shoulder on which it was previously hanging.

Question If You Can Work Smarter

Sometimes, working smarter can decrease your potential of dealing with muscle pain. For example, if you're mowing your lawn and frequently find that your shoulders and arms are sore afterward, think about how you perform the task and evaluate a different way of doing it. A simple change such as having your mower blades sharpened more frequently can mean that you don't have to make as many passes with the lawnmower. This will decrease the length of the task and thus shorten the strain on your muscles.

Avoid Long Stretches

Performing any activity for a long duration can increase your risk of an overuse injury. Don't disregard the importance of taking breaks, even when you're doing something that you enjoy. If you're playing football catch with your children at local park, for example, you might not be accustomed to doing so. This can mean that you develop muscle pain in several areas of your body, including in your shoulders, chest, arms, and back, as well as the muscles in your lower body if you're running around a lot. Don't be afraid of performing even enjoyable tasks in short stints so that you stay free of pain.

For more information on pain management, contact a business like Regional Pain Care.

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30 May 2018

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