As you know, it’s my mission to end chronic pain. In a video I shared, I explained why is it that we have more back pain or we develop back pain when we wash dishes or even washing food in the kitchen sink. I mentioned there why that happens and it has everything to do with the way the position is. So just to give you a simple recap for those who didn’t get to see that video. When you wash dishes, most of the time we’re slouched over. We’re washing, dishes, food, or whatever, right? And we tend to do that for, especially if you have a lot of stuff, half an hour or more. In this blog, I will tell you the #1 way to avoid back pain when washing dishes.
When you wash dishes, you can be in a slouched position for a long time. When that happens, the lactic acid in the muscles continue to build up. And if you do that over a prolonged period of time, let’s say you do that in half an hour a day, an hour a day, and then everyday, that keeps building up more and more. So the lactic acid when it builds up, will cause burning or cause pain and it will strain the muscles on your back.
So what is the number one solution to this problem? Because washing dishes is something that we do everyday and if we can keep ourselves healthy and safe, when we’re doing such a basic activity, that will be great. That will help a lot of people. That’s why I want to share this with everyone. Because I see this in a lot of my patients and they ask me this a lot of times. This is why I want to share this with you.
What’s the number one way on how you can prevent having your back pain getting worse when you’re washing dishes? It’s using something like a step stool, or even if it’s just a box or something, as long as it’s sturdy, that you can step on and it’s not going to break. It should be able to support your weight. And here’s what I want you to do.
Grab a step stool and put it in front of the sink. And what you can do is, while you’re washing your dishes, put one foot up. So you’re putting one foot up, and then the other one will be down. So basically you have one foot that’s on top of the step stool. Remember, you don’t want a step stool that’s too high because when you have it too high, you’re going to be too lopsided. So just maybe a few inches will be good. So you want one knee bent, and you want the other one straight. You’re washing dishes this way.
Now, why is it better than standing straight? Because when you have one foot up and you lean forward, instead of using only your back muscles to counter the effect of gravity on your upper body, you’re actually using the bigger muscles on this leg. You can use your glutes and your quads to prevent you from going forward. When you do this, a lot of the work goes to your legs and a little bit to your back. You’re going to be have soreness or some burning on the legs, but these muscles are used to working so they are better at tolerating such work.
One reason is because we walk every day. So use them. They’re stronger and they’re more resistant to injuries compared to your back. Bonus is you get a good leg and glutes workout as well while washing dishes. Do this and let’s say after 10 minutes or so, switch the other way. Then, you’re using the other leg muscle. And then after 10, 15 minutes or so, you can switch again.
By washing dishes this way, you’re saving your back from a lot of harm, and at the same time, you are actually working your leg muscles. You’re actually strengthening your legs. And at the same time, saving your back. So that’s the number one way that I want to share with you on how you can prevent your back pain from getting worse when you’re washing dishes.
You can watch this on video by clicking here.
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I would love to hear your comments. You can leave your comments below. I’ll see you in the next blog.
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