Eight common movements and gestures that can break our bodies

Sometimes we can get carried away with believing that muscle or bone injuries are the concerns of elite athletes, of people who push their bodies to the extreme until something actually 'breaks'. However, the truth is that most people who suffer pain in their musculoskeletal system due to certain movements or gestures have caused that pain themselves, often during very everyday and less-than-glamorous tasks. Of course, it sounds better to say that you twinged a muscle in your side while playing golf than to tell people that you heard a 'twang' while wiping your backside when seated on the toilet (something that is surprisingly more common than you'd imagine). If not, a quick search on Amazon for a 'bottom wiper' will reveal that such gadgets already exist to help those who have trouble with that twist of the body.

So, we should watch out for the little things we do every day as they are the ones that can cause a sudden injury or one that develops gradually through repetition. Here are two examples of both.

The sudden whiplash when we lift or put something down, bending our torso forward at the waist and without bending our legs. Bending over in this forced manner eliminates the natural curves of the back, putting pressure on the vertebrae and discs. That's when the acute pain in the lower back kicks in, that 'I'm stuck' feeling that many of us have suffered at some point in life! «The correct thing to do is to move your legs a little wider apart to increase the support, move closer to the object to be handled, tighten the abdomen and bend your knees», say Marta Cañada, physiotherapist at Hospital Vithas Vitoria, and Dr Sara Laxe, a rehabilitation physician and director of the scientific committee of the Spanish Society of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (SERMEF).

What about the damage that comes from gestures and movements after much repetition? Both experts point to the number one enemy right now. «Prolonged use of mobile phones: constant movement of the thumbs leads to tendon injuries, especially in the flexors of the thumb, which cause pain that can extend to the wrist. And with the overuse of touch devices, the index finger ends up with tendonitis.» These medical experts are drawing attention to a problem that will end up being very common indeed if we do not rein in how we use our mobile phones plus another eight daily activities that can 'break' us more easily than we think.

«In addition to maintaining a posture of hyperflexion of the neck, it is dangerous because we lose attention to the dangers that can arise on the streets, especially if we are also wearing helmets,» says Dr Laxe.

«This posture is less and less used with mobile phones due to wireless headsets, but it is still seen with landline phones, causing excessive strain on the muscles of the neck and shoulder,» says our rehab doctor. This particular manoeuvre is avoidable: we just have to focus on not having our hands occupied when using the device. Can we do it?

«It causes excessive external rotation and forced abduction of the arm. If we repeat this movement and try to pick up the bag or whatever it is from the same front seat, we exert even more force and increase the risk of rotator cuff injuries. And, if the object is heavy, the risk increases even more,» warns Laxe.

«Be careful about using a laptop for long hours,» says Dr Laxe. During the pandemic, people who worked from home with a proper desktop computer had fewer neck and back pain problems than those who used a laptop. This is because of the downward-facing screen on laptops that should really be at eye level and also the position of the keyboard.

«Beware of cordless vacuum cleaners that have the charging point close to the hand: overloading the limb increases the risk of tendonitis and wrist pain,» explains Dr Sara Laxe. If we use this type of device a lot, we will end up suffering pain in that lower arm and hand as that part of the human body is not prepared for that payload.

«Be careful! Shopping trolleys that fit a big weekly shop (and a couple of kids who love riding in them), can easily mean you're moving 40 kilos around. And turning those weighty trolleys is a challenge for our wrists, and even our menisci [knees], due to the enormous pressure required to move them along the aisles.»

«It forces us to turn our neck, keeping continuous stress on the spine. It can cause neck pain, back pain or tendonitis. The best thing to do is sleep on your side, with a pillow between your legs, to keep your spine horizontal, distribute tension and breathe better,» says physiotherapist Marta Cañada.

«Excessive use of the computer mouse can cause compression of the median nerve in the wrist, which can become irritated or inflamed, leading to carpal tunnel syndrome, causing tingling and numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers,» says our physiotherapy expert. To alleviate the problem, stop and move that wrist.