Lockdown health and fitness: Dealing with muscle pain

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In times of COVID-19 and the lockdown, most people have been staying indoors and levels of activity have decreased significantly. Work from home has become the new norm and we may see more of it even if the COVID-19 pandemic resolves. For online classes, students have to sit for long hours in front of laptops or mobiles, often maintaining an incorrect posture on the bed rather than using a table and chair. Sitting at the desk or on the sofa watching TV for a long time weakens and tightens muscles, stiffening the back, shoulders and neck.

Dr Kaushal Malhan, Director Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement surgeon at Fortis Hospital Mulund points out: "A survey conducted at UK's Institute for Employment Studies (IES) found that more than half of those who responded, said they were experiencing new neck, shoulder or back pain. Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise plummeted over a fortnight since, with 60 percent saying they are exercising less, a third eating less healthily and 20 percent saying they were consuming more alcohol. Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of the 500 respondents said they were sleeping less, while 48 percent said their new working life involved increased and irregular hours."

Dr Malhan notes the common causes of muscle pain we see nowadays include:

Muscle cramps: Muscle cramp is a sudden contraction of one or more muscles. This can be intense and sometimes even lead to muscle injury. Sitting for long hours in a particular posture can lead to muscle cramps along the upper back, shoulder blade and calf muscles. These can be treated by gentle stretching exercises, massage, hot fomentation and good hydration.

Muscle strains: Muscle strains are injuries due to sudden strenuous contraction of the muscles or a vigorous sudden stretching of the muscle leading to damaged muscle fibres. These are often seen due to unaccustomed or incorrectly done exercises. People are adopting new exercises by watching videos without proper supervision and preparation, resulting in muscle injury. These are treated by rest, ice fomentation, splintage and anti-inflammatory medications.

Overuse injuries: Overuse injuries or repetitive stress injuries are due to a small strain being applied very frequently. This happens due to bad posture with excessive repetitive pressure on a particular muscle or indulging in a particular motion frequently thus causing excessive localised muscle strain. An example is that of a tennis elbow when an individual may develop persistent pain along the outer side of the elbow because of some simple repetitive activity such as doing household chores like lifting, repetitive wrist extension, etc. To treat, one needs to rest the part, and couple it with Ultrasonic Therapy with a Physiotherapist and anti-inflammatory medicine.

It is most important to correct what you are doing wrong and perform the repetitive activities in a manner which will not be strenuous for the muscle. This can be done by correct position of joints e.g. keeping a soft support under the wrist joint so as to reduce the extension at the wrist while typing. Correct posture at the work station with elbows rested and back supported will reduce the risk of neck and shoulder pain.

Muscle pain due to arthritis in adjacent joints: A number of patients with knee arthritis whose mobility levels have decreased are suffering from pain, not just in the knee joint but also the muscles of the thigh and the calf.

Measures to prevent muscle problem:

Regular gentle stretching exercises focusing on all relevant muscle groups; listen to your body and dial up or down as needed or as much as can be tolerated. Use your doorway for a full body stretch

Aerobic exercise like walking should be done regularly within the house

Deep breathing exercises and a positive optimistic outlook to reduce stress

Endurance exercises involving lightweights and multiple repetitions for muscle groups which are more prone to problems

Hot fomentation and gentle massage for tight muscles

Regular hot water bath

Drinking lots of water and having a healthy well balanced diet

Avoid sitting in one position continuously for too long

Regular change of posture and breaks from prolonged sitting with walks and movement exercises

Avoid posture which specifically strains one muscle group

Body postures should be such that the head and neck lie along the centre of gravity axis

Postures should be such that none of the muscle groups are under constant tension

Workstation should be designed so that the computer screen is at a height, backrest supporting the back and elbows supported on the table. Soft silicon support under the palms so as to avoid wrist hyperextension. Scapular retractions can be done while sitting to reduce neck pain

While doing household chores avoid excessive loads at one go and divide a heavy job into small lighter sections

Take a break in between activities. Movement breaks are better than standing breaks

In case of any pain please consult your doctor for treatment

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