If your back hurts, that's how you should clean your house
) -. Maintaining a correct posture, taking care of the repetitive movements that entails carrying out the tasks of the home, as well as using the appropriate accessories to perform household chores, is essential to prevent and avoid muscle-skeletal injuries. This is explained by the physiotherapists from Madrid, Catalonia, Navarre, Basques, Galicia, Andalusia and Valencia in the first videoconsejo 2018 of its campaign "12 months, 12 health councils", which have launched one year.
Simple and routine tasks such as making the bed, cooking or cleaning the glass can trigger problems at the joint, tendon, ligament and muscle level, either due to poor performance or repetitive movements.
For this reason, the Professional Association of Physiotherapists of the Community of Madrid (CPFCM), the College of Physiotherapists of Catalonia, the Official College of Physiotherapists of the Basque Country, the Official College of Physiotherapists of Navarra, the Official College of Physiotherapists of Galicia, the Official Association of Physiotherapists of Andalusia and the Official Association of Physiotherapists of Valencia, have dedicated their first videoconseye of the year to the importance of prevention when carrying out household chores: //youtu.be/T36v3VX2VvE
Thus, physiotherapists warn that incorrect postures and repetitive movements that occur when doing everyday tasks such as sweeping, cleaning windows or lifting weights, can cause trauma to the arms, legs, hands and back. And, according to the secretary general of the Professional Association of Physiotherapists of the Community of Madrid (CPFCM), José Santos, "the housework involves a very heavy burden for the whole locomotor system since physical activity falls, fundamentally about joints, muscles and bones. "
In addition, the physiotherapists remember that, although we are all exposed to injury when doing these tasks, children and the elderly are the most vulnerable, in the latter case due mainly to the loss of balance control, the difficulties they have when walking and the decrease in vision.
Some of the most common pathologies that can occur in the home as a result of cleaning furniture or picking up heavy bags are low back pain or carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects the nerves and tendons of the hands and which occurs after staying with the wrists flexed for a long time, causing a tingling of the hand that ends up becoming a lack of sensitivity. Epicondylitis, caused by the inflammation of the extensor tendons of the wrist muscles, is another of the most common problems caused by the continuous repetition of a movement.
To avoid these possible injuries, physiotherapists point to postural hygiene when performing housework. So, to wash dishes and ironing is advisable to put on the floor a support about 10 cm high that allows you to put one foot on top and change it so as not to overload the column and concentrate the maximum weight on the legs.
To mop the floor, it is recommended that the length of the mop or brush be high enough so that it does not need to be tilted. Meanwhile, José Santos warns of the risks of tasks that make us stay low for a long time, such as picking up things from the floor or doing the laundry. For example, to select the clothes that we want to put in the washing machine, it is better to sit on the floor directly so as not to remain in a harmful position. Also, when picking something punctual from the ground that does not require us to sit down, it is better to bend the knees so that you do not have to bend your back.
"In any case, despite all these tips, we can not avoid 100% that we can suffer domestic accidents when performing tasks at home.When this happens, it is key to stay calm and have a first-aid kit at hand, and if the discomfort persists or there is some doubt, always go to a qualified professional like the physiotherapist ", concludes José Santos.
