Standing work is performed by 30 percent of the population. The most frequently written topic is how to prevent the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle. And yet many people work in a standing position and therefore also suffer from various ailments. How to reduce the risk of backache and foot pain? What to do to avoid problems with varicose veins? See which shoes are best for standing work.
Some of us stand 8 hours a day. Regardless of their profession, they complain of pain in their legs, spine and neck. They complain of swelling of the feet, calves, muscle spasms, varicose veins. Long-term standing is very burdensome for the body. They are strongly felt by the musculoskeletal and circulatory systems. Hence, after years of working in this position, not only orthopedic but also vascular problems appear.
Working in a standing position causes swelling and varicose veins
Working while standing is conducive to blood stagnation in the veins of the legs. It is difficult for her to swim towards the heart when it is not helped by the work of the foot and calf muscles, which push her upward like a pump. The consequence is swelling, a feeling of heavy legs, varicose veins. The presence of blood in the legs is prevented by wearing compression stockings or knee socks at work. If chronic venous insufficiency is diagnosed, the degree of pressure should be selected by a doctor. It is important that we do not stand still during work.
Remember to change your body position every 5-10 minutes and move your legs. But trotting around in place or shifting your weight from one foot to the other is of little use. You should stand slightly apart. One foot rests on the ground, the other one only on the toes, while straining the calf muscles. Every few minutes, we repeat this exercise at least 2-3 times for each leg.
We can also tiptoe. Such exercise works against swelling and reduces the risk of varicose veins.
This will be useful to youRemember to relax
After returning home, it is worth lying down with your feet against the wall to get rid of the swelling. Dousing the legs with a cool stream of water from the feet to the knees will also help to remove it. After that, a simple massage can be performed. We move our hands a few or a dozen times from the fingers to the knees, putting pressure on the body. Let's also take care of active recreation, if only toimprove circulation. Tired muscles will benefit from walking, swimming, recreational cycling for 30 minutes. These forms of physical activity can be used as a warm-up before practicing other sports, such as running or playing tennis. Without it, he can quickly injure himself.
How to take care of feet in standing work
The entire body weight rests on them. The larger it is, the more they flatten when working while standing. Their architecture changes over time. The longitudinal and transverse arches are reduced - there are painful corns, metatarsal pain, hallux. So let's provide your feet with maximum comfort. Let's work in sports footwear, preferably intended for running, because it has a flexible, springy sole and a contoured insole. It absorbs the pressure of the body on the feet and supports their arches. A good solution is to wear custom-made orthopedic insoles in your shoes.
The result of standing work is nagging leg pains
They are caused by enormous fatigue of the constantly tense muscles of the front of the thigh and the back of the calf. If they are not relaxed from time to time, there is not only pain in the legs, but also cramps in the calves. Strained muscles are ischemic. They lack oxygen and nutrients, incl. magnesium and potassium, which are important for the proper functioning of muscles.
If we want to avoid such ailments, remember about the correct body position. You should stand with your legs slightly apart, so that the load on your legs is even, while tensing the muscles of your thighs and buttocks. If we do not do this, we will start to slouch, which results in back pain. Every few minutes we do exercises to prevent blood stagnation in the veins.
For those who find this position uncomfortable, we suggest resting the left and right feet on a small footrest (approx. 10 cm high). This position prevents slouching and forces the buttock muscles to tighten. Let's take advantage of every opportunity to sit down for a moment, because in this position the leg muscles relax and relax.
Spine problems in standing work
When working while standing, the most stressed is his lumbar region, especially when we slouch. That is why it is so important to properly design a workplace. The table top, conveyor belt or counter must not be too low, because it forces you to bend over them, and they should be placed as close to the body as possible.
The greater the torso deflection, the greater the load on the lumbar spine. Let's remember not to slouch. Try to keep your back straight, but also your head. Its constant tilting leads to stress on the neck muscles as wellneck. After some time, muscle contracture and discopathy of the cervical spine may develop.
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