The National Center for Biotechnology Information, which is a part of the US National Library of Medicine states that the most common category of injuries related to athletes is muscle lesions. Muscle lesions are a more severe type of muscle strains and they comprise 10-55% of all injury-related incidents. The most common areas where muscle strains can occur include the hamstrings, quadriceps, calf, back, and the groin area. Muscle strains are identified when a muscle in your body is overstretched or torn. Though there are several causes due to which this could happen, one can take up some precautionary measures to avoid their occurrence in the first place. That is why in this post we would like to share with you some great advice as to how you can go about preventing muscles strains from happening. So let’s take a quick look at each one of them.

Preventing Sprains and Pulls at the Workplace

Perhaps the worst-case scenario for anyone to go through a muscle sprain or muscle pull is during their working hours. When you are reporting at work, which is the time of the day where you cannot simply lag behind targets and do your utter best to meet objectives. There are things piled up and any inconvenience could be looked upon with a frown. The Bureau of Labor investigated the most common types of injuries during office hours and found that muscle strains comprised 47% of injuries during working hours in 2011 alone. Hence there is a great need to create awareness as to how you can prevent muscle strains from occurring. Here is a breakthrough of the causes and their prevention:

• Common Causes of Muscle Strains & Sprains at Workplace:
  • Excessive use of force during work hours that can increase the risk of MSD (musculoskeletal disorder).
  • High repetition of tasks that have a cycle of 30 seconds or less.
  • Inappropriate position and posture that puts additional force on joints and muscles, overloading them.
  • The hazard of slipping, fallings, or tripping at the workplace causing acute tissue injuries.
  • Poor work practices, pitiable lifting techniques, and induction of unnecessary risks during work hours.
  • Low physical fitness, deplorable hygiene, and miserable health habits.
  • Inadequate recovery and rest, causing muscle fatigue to grow, thus resulting in an imbalance within the body’s systems.
  • Lack of sufficient nutrition along with insufficient hydration that can cause muscles and other body parts to become malnourished.
  • Negating, refusing, and denying early symptoms and signs of possible discomfort, thus aggravating them further leading to bigger problems.
• Preventing Muscle Strains & Sprains at Workplace
  • Making sure that you carry out tasks using the correct and advised posture throughout working hours.
  • Eliminating or reducing all factors present in the working environment that cause difficulty in carrying out your work duties or create hurdles in completing the necessary motions to complete a task.
  • Asking an industrial engineer to create the right ergonomics for your workplace so that through their specialized study and expertise all tasks are followed by workers in the appropriate manner.
  • Making sure that all tasks fall under the mid-range of motion category. A specialist, for example, a chiropractor in Atlanta can provide you a complete overview of what ROM (Range of Motions) is all about.
  • Introduce work practices that involve counteractive breaks for stretching and relaxing your muscles as well as job rotations to avoid overly repeated tasks.
  • Offer plenty of education and training for employees regarding their correct performance, involving prevention for MSD related injuries.
  • Making sure that all early signs and symptoms are accurately deduced and informed to the supervisors.
  • The most important of all, introducing a culture of overall health, safety, and wellness as a partnership between the company and the employees.

Some General Tips to Prevent Muscle Sprains & Strains

Muscle strains and sprains can happen during any time of the day, no matter where you are. Hence as a precautionary measure, here are some tips for you to follow:

• Keep your body hydrated throughout the day. Our bodies comprise of bones, tissue, muscles, organs, and various other components that are 60% made out of water. One of the major reasons for muscle fatigue is due to lower levels of water in the body. Around 16 glasses of water, a day should be consumed by a fully grown mature adult.
• Avoid sedentary lifestyles as it makes your body, muscles, and bones weaker with time. Using smart devices for prolonged and continuous periods of time is an unhealthy practice. In fact, you should include a daily exercise regimen in your routine. Walk, play sports, go for a swim, or use a cycle on a regular basis to keep yourself fit and healthy.
• Keep away from substance abuse, tobacco, and alcohol. Prohibit the consumption of fast food, sugary items, processed meat, and other junk edibles. Enjoy fresh organic meat, vegetables, and fruits as they are your primary sources of nutrition as well as the best way to keep you healthy and fit.
• Always remember to warm up first if you want to try some workouts. The muscles need some time to start working in their adequate capacities. So do some stretch exercises to wake them up. Try walking briskly, skipping rope, jogging to get the sweat going. However always keep your exercise routines in a moderate fashion, never overdo them or else your muscles might suffer.

We hope this post was able to offer you some great insights as to how you can prevent muscle strains, sprains, and pulls from occurring in the first place. Our human body is a living mechanism which is why it deserves care and proper upkeep. Our health is the primary asset that no other commodity on earth can replace. Hence as a sensible and reasonable person, we should all take proper care of ourselves. Eat healthily, stay physically fit, and avoid putting our health at risk at all times. For more question and queries regarding the topic please feel free to let us know of your feedback in the comment section below.