28 Dec Have you been up all night cleaning up after the Christmas and Boxing Day party guests left

Have you been up all night cleaning up after the Christmas and Boxing Day party guests left Or perhaps you woke up this morning faced with the cleaning up  because the Christmas celebrations went on to the wee hours of the morning

If that sounds like you, by lunchtime your arms must be starting to feel sore with the scrubbing and  cleaning… a common complaint that many housewives and homemakers will experience.
The repetitive scrubbing motion tends to cause wrist, elbow and shoulder pain. And if you are working with your arms overhead, then neck, shoulders and upper back pain is not unusual. However, as many mothers tell us, the work needs to be done despite the pain and discomfort they experience, because otherwise it doesn’t get done or it doesn’t get done to their standards of cleanliness. 

Here are a few top tips on how to prevent repetitive strain injuries to your arms and upper back from doing housework.

#1. Stop the work if a joint is painful. Take a break, or do other housework to prevent repeated and continuous strain on the same joints. For example, Don’t scrub the stove, oven, pots and pans in one go. Instead, clean the stove, and then take a break or put the laundry in the wash before you tackle the oven. Do regular stretches during rest breaks, especially for the back, legs and arms.

#2. Pay attention to your posture when cleaning and vacuuming. Stand on a step stool to avoid keeping arms raised for long periods when cleaning a tall cupboard, or adjust the height of the ironing board to reduce neck strain. When using a vacuum cleaner, instead of standing still and bending and pushing the vacuum cleaner, maintain an upright position and move yourself backwards and forwards.

#3. Maintain a reasonable level of fitness because doing housework is very much like a marathon workout!  The better your general fitness, the less likely you will injure yourself.

If you are struggling with sore arms, necks and backs, and would love to get painfree, ring My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to book an appointment with one of our Expert Physiotherapists today!