LIFESTYLE - We are all either observing or experiencing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It has been a tragic turn of events, with many casualities. Businesses have had to close, employees have been forced to take salary cuts, and many lost their jobs or are unable to work because of the lockdown. In an instant, we were faced with challenges causing stress, anxiety and other negative emotions.
The body’s reaction to stress or negative emotions is to become inhibited, restricted and rigid, and as a result, tension builds up.
This tension that the body experiences has an adverse effect on the musculoskeletal system.
The psychology of a person has a definitive effect on the efficient functioning of the muscles in their role of performing instructed movement or physical motion.
The inhibited state of the body because of stress results in the muscles becoming tight and stiff, hence the body tenses up. This is the fright response. In a strange way, the body is trying to protect itself.
However, this protective measure causes muscle spasms, particularly in the neck and upper back.
Following the clues
When a person consults me citing neck pain or painful shoulders (that’s how they describe discomfort in the upper back), I always ask if they are stressed, over-thinking, worried or if they suffer from anxiety. This provides clues as to which side would be more affected and symptomatic.
The muscles commonly affected are the scalene muscles of the neck, upper trapezius (one of the upper back muscles) and levator scapulae muscles (skeletal muscles situated at the back and side of the neck).
The muscles feel hardened, tense and spasmic. You would experience severe discomfort if the trigger points are palpated, and a decreased range of motion and function.
Other symptoms include headaches, involuntary movement and nerve-related (neurological) sensations such as pins-and-needles, numbness or weakness radiating down the upper limbs.
The lockdown effect: back pain
The Covid-19 enforced lockdown meant that for many it was work as unusual.
Working remotely meant working at home, therefore creating makeshift offices.
This created unforeseen challenges as people were now having to see to the kids and cleaning their homes while working in ergonomically compromised work-stations.
The incorrect height of your desk and using different chairs or chairs lacking appropriate back support causes postural anomalies. Incorrect posture results in neck and lower back conditions such as spondylosis or disc compression pathologies.
Another common problem I have observed in patients during the lockdown because of working at their home desks or stations, and with long hours of typing, is severe pain in the posterior shoulder, arising from the rotator cuff complex (responsible for stabilising the shoulder joint).
There are also postural muscles (core stability muscles, the deep muscles in your abdomen, pelvis and back), namely the rhomboids (the upper back muscles that connect between your spine and each of your shoulder blades) and middle trapezius (this muscle helps bring the shoulder blades back, towards the spine).
This occurrs from the fixed position of the shoulders in which the muscles are under constant contraction.
Increased workload, lack of circulation, sustained immobility and the static contraction causes symptoms such as a decreased range of motion of the shoulder joints, discomfort in the mid-back region, difficulty breathing and a constant ache in the thoracic region due to the forced build-up in the thoracic spine from poor posture or sitting incorrectly.
The lockdown effect: neck pain
Patients have come in with similar symptoms complaining of neck pain.
The lockdown has resulted in people spending more time on their phones browsing through their social media and texting which has caused “text neck” due to awkward positions and constantly looking down at their screens.
Anterior shoulder pain can also result from texting.
It is described as symptoms usually mentioned by the elderly with degenerative shoulder joints, but now it is becoming more common in younger people.
Self-therapy that one could perform at home to help relieve these conditions:
- Heat therapy: place a heat bag on the painful area.
- Stretching: a series of neck and back stretches. Hold each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, do two to five times at regular periods throughout the day.
- Foam rolling: use a roller to give yourself a massage.
- Ice therapy: in some cases, ice is more applicable than heat.
- Strengthening exercise: the correct strengthening exercises can prevent injury.
- Visit a physiotherapist to prevent worse conditions from occurring. Get correctly diagnosed so you can get the right treatment.
Moodley recently returned to Durban after heading the medical team for IPL franchise Delhi Capitals and India’s Olympic athletes. He provides physiotherapy to the general population of Durban.