According to a study carried out by BUPA, 19% of British workers say that their daily commute is leaving them with neck, back and muscle pain.
Car drivers appear to be the worst affected with over 64% saying that they are in discomfort. The least affected are runners and cyclists, demonstrating that physical exercise can be supportive for good joint and muscle health.
Those in London seem to be suffering the most with over 73% reporting aches and pains although it seems that they do not necessarily make the connection between their commute and their physical health with very few stretching their backs and legs to ease symptoms.
The study also highlighted the fact that the average worker sits or stands for three and a half hours daily in the same position without any kind of movement.
Last year over 31 million working days were lost to musculoskeletal pain – in particular back, neck and muscle pain.
Tone’s catchphrase is “motion is lotion”! Regular movement avoids stiffening of the joints and ensures that blood flow brings essential nutrients and oxygen to the muscles.
Tone developed the lucksyardclinic app to address these problems and encourage everyone to keep moving throughout their daily lives. Most of these can be done in the office or indeed at your desk. She also says that getting up and moving around every 45 minutes can have a big impact on muscular health.
- If you have to stand on your commute she suggests keeping the weight balanced between both legs and feet rather than all the weight on one side.
- If you take a rucksack to work – wear it properly rather than slung over one shoulder.
- When driving make sure you have adjusted the seat to give you the best driving position so you avoid having to stretch too far to reach the steering wheels or foot pedals.
You can download our clinic app for free by searching for lucksyardclinic on our app store
