It seems strange to think that despite the physical strain sports people put themselves through, we don’t actually see as many sports injuries in North Finchley as you would expect.
On the other hand we see many more office workers despite them being much less physically active.
Surely you would expect sports people to be injuring themselves all the time. You’d also expect office workers who do nothing but sit all day to be fine.
Why is this?
Well, after eight years of being in practice I’ve observed some very common patterns. Generally speaking many office workers don’t exercise. They often have families, start work early or finish late and find it difficult to find the time to get to the gym.
This pattern continues for years throughout their working life and they gradually become less flexible and physically weaker over time.
This weakness (mainly in their lower backs) makes them vulnerable to back issues; either sudden acute attacks or long term chronic pain. Where the muscles surrounding the back have become weak the body no longer has natural support to be able to do day to day tasks such as picking things off the floor.
Combine this weakness around the back with tightness in the hamstrings, buttocks and hips and you’re almost certain to end up with some form of back pain.
I’ve also noticed that office workers who DO manage to exercise regularly have fewer injuries and also recover faster when they do get injured.
Athletes Are In Better Condition
Athletes on the other hand are regularly developing their bodies making them stronger and more flexible. This combination of strength and flexibility reduces the risk of injury.
Of course injuries do happen with athletes and these tend to be directly related to the sport they are doing. It is much rarer to see an athlete in pain from picking something up off the floor than it is an office worker.
So How Does This Relate To You?
If you’re an office worker and you haven’t yet developed a bad back then you’re lucky. If you do already have chronic pain then it’s not the end of the world.
The key to preventing back pain (or any other form of pain) is to regularly and consistently improve your strength through exercise and also to improve your flexibility.
Pilates and Yoga are both good places to begin for stability and flexibility and weight training (for both men and women) is the best option for strength.
If you aren’t sure how to begin or you are worried about making your aches and pains worse then I suggest you book a FREE 30 minute consultation with us so we can help you start on the right path.
To arrange your free consultation you can either email us at info@precisionwellbeing.co.uk or call us on 0203 356 7060.