IS THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY
FAILING TO CARE FOR #1 ASSETS
Have you ever asked yourself why is it that office staff sees billions of dollars spent on ergonomic assessments and equipment every year, but the men and women who make sure those items get delivered see little to no care for their health and wellness. Some of the transportation business will spend millions to keep their own office staff from calling workers compensation and then will spend around $0.00 on those sitting in their trucks for 8 to16 hours per day. These people are employed by the same company and this needs to change, NOW !!
I have never seen a desk jockey ripping down the highway through a snowstorm ? Imagine the impact on the entire system when you're hauling through the mountains in the snow and ice pulling
50,000 lbs and then some special person cuts you off.
That is probably more strenuous than waiting for the photocopier.
If you drive for your job or you're on a long road trip, every time you make a stop it is an opportunity to help yourself feel better, reduce or eliminate pain and fatigue in just a few simple steps. We can increase your energy, focus, productivity and your drive for success.
When we drive you likely rotate towards the center of the car, this is likely going to cause certain muscles to be highly active, those may remain under more tension for the hours upon hours day upon day as you are sitting in that position behind the wheel.
When you repeat these positions and movements for years our body will grow accustomed to these positions and will naturally pull you in those positions throughout your day.
Once you have spent years allowing this to happen with no effort to contradict these movement patterns it's likely that you are suffering unnecessarily.
That changes today, right now !! We are going to fix these patterns, reduce or eliminate pain and assist with injury prevention. It's simple. We will make adjustments little by little, day by day and you will start to gain your life back.
We have a few drills you can start with, they are simple and can be done when you're sitting behind the wheel. Adding additional exercises and movements to progress is the key, taking your rehab, your job, your training and your life to a whole new and pain free level.
Plan to work on your body a little each day, for some it may take frequently scheduled times to alleviate some of the symptoms. Hang in there, as little as 2 minutes, 3 - 5 times per day of properly selected exercises can start to reduce symptoms.
Tight muscles with reduced mobility in the hips and pelvis area can cause many issues throughout your body, we are going to focus on one of the most common we see, yep you guessed it. Lower back pain or tightness, on one or both sides.
Does your hand position on the steering wheel matter ?
Yes it absolutely does, I see a large portion of the driving population leaning to one side with one hand on top of the steering wheel. The longer you're in these positions the more it affects proper action and function of the shoulders, with extended periods of time and repetitive movements in protraction and internal rotation we may see damage to tendons, muscles or nerves. Protraction and internal rotation are part of proper shoulder function, working with us on your path to recovery you will only need to spend a little time each day restoring proper function to the shoulders and relieving pain and in some cases we will help you avoid surgery now or in the future.
I can not say this enough !!!!
The severity of your symptoms can be related to your seat position, posture and other manageable factors.
Once you get your seats set up, and you become aware of your body position, the next target is when the driver leaves the seat. This is when everything changes, some drivers back into a dock and literally do nothing well other men and women unload or load the truck. Others may get out at every stop and lift 100 boxes full of paper. Another is pulling barrels of liquid on and off with a pallet jack. The variables are endless so we will address this in another article.
If you do have a particular concern for you or your team and would like more assistance please email us at impact@hardwiredwellness.com or DM on Instagram @hardwiredwellness we will set up your free 30 min consultation call to get you started on the road to a strong body and a strong mind.
Movements, Drills, Exercises
Exercise #1
Thoracic rotations
Get in the passenger side of the vehicle and use the driver's seat to do 5-10 reps of assisted thoracic rotations to the left. Return to the driver's side and use the passenger seat to perform the same number of reps.
Exercise #2
Thoracic Flexion & Extension
These can be done from the seat or while standing or kneeling beside your vehicle.
Sitting or standing put your hands on your ears, elbows pointing in front of you bend forward at your mid Back creating an arch in your spine. Then as you straighten back up keep hands on your ears open your elbows reaching them behind you as you arch your upper back. Then roll forward again bringing elbows together out in front of you.
Always do the same number of reps on each side to avoid having any imbalances and start with the weaker side to set your limits.
Exercise #3
For your shoulders we want to address the most common areas we see pain or injury.
Reach & row
Arms straight out in front of you, reach forward as far as possible, Keeping arms straight you will pull your shoulders back trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together and down, hold for 5 seconds and repeat.
The T-Y-W series is going to make some incredible changes for you too.
Standing up right or hinging at the hip so your chest is parallel to the ground for each of the T-Y-W movements.
From your chosen start position you will use your arms to make the shape.
T- arms out to the side squeezing your shoulder blades together
Y- Arms go above your head making the Y shape
W- Arms raised so elbows are even to shoulders, hands forward, then rotate your hands upward into the W shape.
You can check out our website for instructional videos on these and other great exercises and drills to get you out of pain and feeling your best ever.
When you're ready and you want to feel even better you can add our neck sequence and our breathing practices, found on our website and other media platforms.
The above exercises and additional training we provide will make your day on the road a much more comfortable and enjoyable experience. Cruising down the highway and enjoying the view pain free and full of energy is exactly what you deserve.
I have been a professional Driver for 24 years. I have experienced many functional problems with my body and I know adding 20 reps of some exercises throughout your day can have absolutely incredible results in all areas of your life.
As a carpenter and Installation expert I spent years behind the wheel driving in downtown and all around Calgary and almost across Canada with additional heavy lifting and work that is hard on the body. Utilizing my own experiences with injury recovery and 12 years of education I have been able to combine all of my experiences and provide you with an in depth corrective exercise program that also helps you build a stronger body and stronger mind.
Ryan Hanson
Hardwired Wellness
Email: impact@hardwiredwellness.com
