“Telework, back pain and physical risks: contribution of physiotherapist” was organized BY CHRISTIAN GAGNIERE (Medical and Scientific Director at LPG Systems) with 3 experts:
President of the French Federation of Physiotherapists (FFMKR) underlined: “The first lockdown was a hard and total cessation of all care for all the chronic patients we usually treat. Through our action with the Ministry, all physiotherapy practices were able to remain open during the second lockdown. However, the task remains complex as many patients suffering from chronic diseases are also the most exposed to Covid and often the most reluctant to come for their treatment or to continue their activities. Chronic patients are encouraged to maintain their level of care at the maximum and to continue them as far as possible”.
First Secretary General of the FFMKR, specialized in chronic pains, underlined: “The HAS (French National Health Authority) defines chronic disease as a pathological state of a physical, psychological and/or cognitive nature expected to last with a major impact on the patient’s daily life. The disease is long and progressive with 25% of patients having chronic pain. Fighting a chronic disease is a nonsense but we can limit the impact and do prevention. We cannot change the disease, but we can improve the quality of life, no longer against it, but “with” it. The treatment is global and personalized, by taking care of the person and not dealing with the pathology, while respecting the patient’s project and choices. There is therefore the same philosophy for all chronic diseases. The main focus of the physiotherapist’s work is to manage the problem of the disease through therapeutic education (helping the patient to accept his/her illness, making the patient want as a drive change). (…)
Whether it is for a neurological disease, obesity or aging, the physiotherapist can guide the patient towards exercises known as being good for each disease, which can compensate for one’s deficits and that will be adapted to one’s abilities and preferences. Physical activity has a central place in the management of chronic diseases. In addition, chronic disease requires psychological flexibility, adaptability, acceptance and resilience. The physiotherapist is an accompanying person, a guide, endowed with empathy, capable of providing adapted cares and education but also capable of working with other professions (doctors, nurses, psychologists, etc.) to help people move and live. Chronic diseases are THE challenge of tomorrow and the physiotherapist has an increasingly important role in their management”.
Founder and CEO of HumanFab Research Center, specialized in the analysis of human motion, mentioned the deleterious effects of a sedentary lifestyle on health.
“With the emergence of teleworking, there is an increasing amount of spinal pain. In teleworking, you can spend more than 3 and a half hours sitting down without making any movements and work for more than 8 hours in total (compared to an average of 6 and a half hours face-to-face). There is less sense of the time and less interaction with the colleagues. Workstations must be adapted to limit the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)…
By spending too much time sitted, the tone of the muscles responsible for the upright position decreases, accentuating the curvature (kyphosis) and the pressure areas at the level of the sacrum and the spine, the venous return is no longer done correctly, favouring an oedema in the lower limbs, pain can thus settle in the back or lower limbs. Discomfort and pain in cervical, elbow or wrist may also appear. In addition, the decrease in energy expenditure in cerebral oxygenation leads – in the long term – to a decrease in cognitive performance (speed of reflection, tiredness, attention, etc.).
Luckily there are some solutions! The preventive ones encourage movement, workstation adaptation and the use of ergonomic tools. In curative solutions, the role of the physiotherapist is essential. He can use his hands (massage), the ball and other tools to strengthen muscles. Among those tools, HUBER also allows stretching, neurocognitive work and muscle strengthening.”
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