These days, we sit more than ever before—an average of about 9 hours a day. It’s estimated that a person with an office job will spend a total of about 80,000 hours sitting over the course of their career. Sitting at work for more than six hours a day significantly increases the risk of lower back pain, and prolonged sitting is already an independent risk factor for neck and shoulder pain. Chronic lower back pain has tripled since the 1990s, and musculoskeletal disorders are steadily increasing and affecting people at increasingly younger ages. It’s a good idea to start rehabilitation even before a problem arises, as it’s much more motivating to keep yourself in good shape than to fight your way back to good health while dealing with pain.
Prevent Ailments by Exercising Wisely
Exercise can be medicine. But only when the intensity is tailored to the individual and the exercise techniques are correct. Exercise can become a potential risk factor for musculoskeletal disorders if you train too hard, use incorrect techniques, or follow a routine that’s too one-sided.
The quality of movement is the most important factor in health-promoting and effective training. Moderation is key when structuring your training, and gradually increasing both volume and intensity are essential factors. When the body’s various organ systems and fitness attributes (endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility) are trained in a well-rounded manner, one aspect complements the other. Workload, rest, nutrition, and recovery must also be in balance so that the body remains functional and performance improves as a result of training.
Physical Therapy Can Help During the Acute Phase
About 90% of Finns experience back or neck and shoulder problems at some point in their lives, requiring time off from work and/or physical therapy. Musculoskeletal disorders are triggered by, among other things, prolonged sitting and driving, physically demanding work, lifting heavy loads, hunched and twisted postures, elevated arm positions and static work (such as fiddling with a smartphone), repetitive one-sided tasks, as well as, on the psychological side, low job demands and limited opportunities to influence one’s work. If you recognize these factors in your work and daily life, you should take an even more proactive approach to taking care of your body and engaging in a variety of physical activities.
Injuries, overuse injuries, and musculoskeletal problems will happen, though—there’s no getting around that. There’s a lot we can do to prevent them, but we can’t avoid them all. A physical therapist is well-equipped to diagnose the problem, support you during the acute phase of rehabilitation, provide guidance on self-exercises during the rehabilitation phase, and refer you to a professional personal trainer.
From Acute to Active with the Help of a Personal Trainer
Once the acute phase of the condition has been brought under control, it is time to move from rehabilitation to improving functional ability and performance. In physical therapy, the focus is primarily on restoring functional ability in the problem area through physical therapy treatments and exercise therapy. Personal training, on the other hand, aims to develop physical abilities, taking into account any conditions and limitations during training and consulting with a physical therapist as needed.
Physiotherapy Collaboration!
At their best, physical therapy and personal training complement each other and provide the client with a seamless continuum of care, from rehabilitation during the acute phase of an injury to performance-enhancing training. The combination of physical therapy and personal training is unbeatable when simply restoring functional ability isn’t enough—and the goal is to help the client achieve a better level of fitness than they had before the injury.
This is exactly the kind of approach that characterizes the collaboration between EasyFit and Fysios.
We offer all EasyFit clients the opportunity to schedule a free 30-minute physical therapy session at Fysios, where you’ll receive a diagnosis of your condition and recommendations for further treatment.