The 6 types of common muscle injuries when working in front of a PC

Working for more than 8 hours in front of a computer is the daily routine of many employees, especially those who work in offices or from their own home.

Many work days are spent sitting, with few breaks in which to stretch or loosen the muscles. If we add to this that few people incorporate physical exercise into their daily lives, we have a serious sedentary lifestyle problem.

Common muscle injuries when working in front of a PC are increased by leading a less active lifestyle, which is why they are becoming a serious public health problem. Next we will see what are the main injuries of this type and what to do to avoid them.

• Related article: "Muscular system: what is it, parts and functions"

6 common muscle injuries when working in front of a PC

For the most part, working hours are 8 hours from Monday to Friday, which translates into about 40 hours of work per week. While there are breaks for lunch, coffee or bathroom breaks, and hopefully little relaxation periods, Many workers spend long hours in front of their PC, especially those who work in an office or from home.

Everyone knows that sedentary life is detrimental to your health. Not moving enough is related to several health problems, both physically and mentally, in addition to increasing the chances of suffering from chronic diseases. Every year there are more cases of people who are overweight or obese, estimating the World Health Organization (WHO) that about 40% of the world population suffers from these problems, which translated into numbers would be about 1,200 million people.

Normally, an adult spends almost 10 hours a day sitting. It is not only because of work, although it should be noted that it takes special concern to spend almost 8 hours a day sitting in front of the computer. The 2 extra hours (which can be up to 8) are due to domestic "activities" such as watching TV, using the computer for recreational purposes or simply lying down.

Ideally, take advantage of free time to exercise, move as much as possible. This sounds great in theory, and we all have it internalized as the number 1 tip to combat sedentary life, but in practice it is more complicated. Burnout after a hard day's work is hard to fight, and added to the irritability and frustration associated with heavy work, the last thing we think of when we get home is to run a marathon, lift some weights, or do some squats.

For this reason, with the intention of trying to make the reader aware of the need to combat sedentary life, instead of recommending the free advice to get moving let's go for something much more effective: publicize the main common muscle injuries when working in front of a PC. All of them are ailments associated with spending hours sitting in chairs in an awkward position, with which, who says "work with the computer" also says "play video games" or "scrolling in social networks".

1. Epicondylitis

Epicondylitis, also known as tennis player's disease. It is a lesion characterized by intense pain on the outside of the elbow, just in the region of the epicondyle.

It is a painful inflammation in the muscles and tendons of this part of the body, caused by constant and repeated overexertion and tension on this region of the elbow. This injury occurs specifically at the insertion points of the tendons of the humerus, radius and ulna bones.

Although it is normally attributed to performing physical exercises such as tennis or paddle tennis, it can also be due to spending too much time in front of a computer maintaining an inappropriate posture. To alleviate this ailment, the treatments used include physiotherapy, the application of ice and the consumption of analgesics.

2. Low back pain

Low back pain, more popularly known as lumbago, is a localized pain in the lower back that can present in two forms, one acute and limited in time and the other chronic, which lasts in the long run.

The incidence throughout life is estimated to be between 60 and 90% of the population, which means that 9 out of 10 people worldwide may experience low back pain in their lifetime. Fortunately, about 80-90% of cases are temporary, and only 10% of cases are long and chronic in duration.

Among the most common causes of this ailment we have the strain of a ligament or muscle in the back. A muscle stretch in the lower spine can lead to microcracks and injuries, which are what cause pain. Also can be caused by having your back arched for too long, given the mechanical stress associated with having your spine in such a position.

Among the preventive treatments we have postural correction, considered the best tools to prevent acute low back pain. For this reason, if we cannot stop working with a computer, we must monitor our posture, sitting up straight, with a correct angle of support that allows the spine to rest vertebral.

3. Tension headaches

Sometimes our head hurts from sitting in the wrong position. Tension headaches occur when the muscles of the neck and scalp contract due to psychological distress, especially due to stress, anxiety and depression, along with poor posture habits and head injuries. All these problems can harm the neck muscles.

These ailments are common due to the combination of job stress and very poor posture. Tension headaches They manifest in multiple ways, such as pressure in one eye, pain in the sinuses, or in the form of tension around the head.

To avoid these discomforts, it is very important to use stress-relieving techniques, breathe slowly and, if the potential cause is of the type emotional, go to a specialist, especially a psychologist to see if there is any type of psychological problem such as anxiety and depression that cause. He or she will give us recommendations to manage psychological discomfort and also strategies to manage work stress.

• You may be interested in: "Tension headache: causes, symptoms and treatment"

4. Scoliosis

Scoliosis more than a muscle injury is a bone injury in which the affected person's spine bends to one side because of having held a wrong posture repeatedly and for a long time. As a consequence of the curvature of the spine, the affected person may feel great pain in the back and discomfort when sitting. This injury can be mild or severe depending on how curved the spine is.

It can be prevented by using ergonomic furniture in the office, in addition to doing exercises that help center the spine as is the case with swimming. In the most serious cases, a surgical intervention will be necessary to center the spine, a process that is quite painful as many vertebrae have to be relocated.

5. Lordosis

It is normal for the spine to present curves in the area of ​​the neck, torso and lower back, positioning the head of the pelvis in a natural way. What's more, These curvatures serve as shock absorbers, distributing the stress that occurs during movement, when walking or picking up objects.

However, sometimes it happens that these curvatures are accentuated, producing the lordosis that well resembles the scoliosis only that instead of curving the spine to one side, it does it forwards and backwards in a exaggerated. Lordosis is diagnosed by observing an excessive curvature in the lower back.

This affectation can involve muscle pain and is caused, in addition to not using an adequate ergonomic seat, by factors such as age and certain congenital and acquired medical conditions, including achondroplasia, discitis, obesity, kyphosis, and osteoporosis.

6. Carpal tunnel syndrome

Finally we have carpal tunnel syndrome in which the muscles and tendons of the hand are affected. This condition is caused by immobilization of the median nerve of the hand, a nerve that is located right in the carpal tunnel. It usually occurs when doing repetitive activities with the hand, causing fluid to accumulate in this area and the tendons that are under the tunnel are become inflamed, causing pain in almost the entire hand, especially the middle, index, and thumb.

As a consequence, this disease prevents a natural movement of the wrist, causing varying degrees of pain and temporary disability, although it can become chronic. This ailment is common in people who perform manual jobs that require bending movement with the hand, being common in tennis players, paddle tennis players and, also, people who work with computers every day, typing and using the mouse constantly.

What to do to avoid these types of ailments?

In order to avoid these types of ailments associated with using the PC for long periods we can follow the following list of tips:

• Get up every 30 minutes, preferably doing a few stretches.
• Answer the phone or watch TV standing up.
• Using ergonomic chairs and placing high tables in the work environment, which help prevent involuntary arching of the back.
• Do the work meetings walking or standing.
• If we work at home, place the computer or tablet on a treadmill and walk while we work.

These little tips are ideal to avoid muscle injuries, since they serve to loosen the muscles and avoid any type of physical problem. Progressively incorporating them into our daily lives can make a big difference, as well as being an effective but not very intense way to fight against sedentary lifestyle.