By Jill Nagy
Physical therapists agree that people sit too much and with bad posture and that it causes work-related aches and pains so many people suffer.
Some therapists recited the phrase “sitting is the new smoking” as an unhealthy habit.
Kate Pratt of Capital Area Physical Therapy’s office in Queensbury said she sees a lot of “postural type” problems, resulting from people bending over a computer screen and constantly looking down.
“It seems to be more sitting that gets people into trouble,” said Jason Campopiano of Local Motion Physical Therapy in South Glens Falls. People sit flexed forward, he said, and their shoulder, hip and neck muscles get tight. Then “gravity sets in and they lean further forward.”
Shannon Regner of Inova Physical Therapy in Queensbury sees patients with repetition-related problems, particularly in their shoulders and elbows.
“There are always problems with lifting,” resulting in problems in the shoulders and back, she said.
Therapy begins with an evaluation of the problem. In Regner’s practice, that tends to be a long appointment in a relaxed setting “where we can talk and not feel rushed.”
Once the patient’s problem has been evaluated, the therapist attempts to reduce the pain. That usually requires a combination of relaxation and stretching exercises and treatments such as heat, ice or ultrasound. Once the pain is under control, the therapist usually concentrates on the body mechanics of how to sit and stand properly. Lastly, treatment turns to strengthening exercises to help avoid re-injury.
Regner focuses on using breath to avoid strain.
“It’s amazing how much the breath can help,” she said. The diaphragm, a large muscle below the lungs, is a core muscle, she pointed out. As follow-up, Regner often recommends yoga or tai chi, both of which emphasize breathing techniques.
Pratt said she sees her share of warehouse workers with injuries resulting from lifting and reaching. In such cases, she may visit the patient’s workplace to do an ergonomic assessment. She watches people work and makes recommendations for helping them stay healthy. For, example, she may suggest a morning stretching routine to get workers’ muscles loosened up.
She begins with an evaluation, including a complete medical history and then evaluates range of movement, strength, and functional movement.
“Our goal is to make our patients as better as possible, as quickly as possible,” she said.
Campopiano has a simple prescription for many of his patients: “Get out of that chair. I can’t say that enough.”
He includes balance training in his regimens. He said it is often hard to say which came first, the injury or the balance problem. In any case, “for us, it’s a big part of what we do here.”
He said the situation is worse than it was some years ago. “”We are fatter, tighter in the hips, and don’t hold ourselves up the way we used to.”