Tyneside physiotherapist: “Lockdown has changed our bodies, I’ve never seen so many injuries”
Video report by Katie Cole
A Tyneside physiotherapist says she’s never seen so many injuries following lockdown, and is warning people to return to exercise slowly as Covid restrictions ease.
Karen Dearden has worked as a physio for more than 25 years and says she has never seen anything like it. At the clinic where she works in Newcastle, she says every client they are seeing has injuries linked to lockdown or injuries made worse because of lockdown.
Karen says they are seeing many people who with ‘lockdown back,’ as people have swapped the office for working from home.
"Their bodies have stiffened up and changed shape. I’ve been treating people who have been using ironing boards, sitting on their sofa with a laptop on a pile of books, a coffee table, sitting in bed working and then on top of that people are using zoom, teams, have emails on their phone and all this has an impact on posture. Some people are lucky and have a desk set up and others haven’t and suddenly dining tables became offices."
Karen is urging caution as the world opens up and people return to gyms, exercise classes and team sports.
"As people are allowed to go out more we’ve already started to see an influx of problems. As muscles have weakened your body compensates and brings in different muscles to work and these are the wrong ones. They put strain on joints, ligaments and then you start getting injuries."
If all this sounds familiar then Karen has some advice:
Move and move with purpose. When you get out of chair or off the sofa stand up straight, check yourself, where are your shoulders. If yourearms are not by your side in front of you you are probably standing with your shoulders rounded. Make sure your shoulders are down.
If you are on your computer sit up straight. Pull your shoulder blades down. Your ears should be above your shoulders and your shoulders should be above your hips.
When you go for a walk put your mobile phone away. Look ahead, don’t look down.
Squeeze your buttocks. They have switched off. They are such an important muscle group and will help with balance.
Mitch Clarkson, a software designer from Newcastle has spent the last year working from home and struggled with back pain.
“I have lockdown back. My desk job is eight hours a day everyday and over time I was getting back pain and it would come out of nowhere. Something needed to change, I am only 25 and it was just hurting too much.
"The problem is with my mid back and we have been working to relieve some of the tension and then strengthen the muscles. With the gyms opening up that has what has inspired me to get it sorted.
"I am a lot more conscious of how I am sitting, I am making an effort to stretch my shoulders back. I am taking regular breaks and doing the recommended stretches.“