Broom, Bucket and Back Pain: How Household Chores Are Wrecking Your Spine

It is hard to believe that household chores are really detrimental to the back when, in reality, it is the poor posture we maintain that can cause havoc to our spinal health. In fact, one such measure to identify if a person's back or spine is working fine or not is by the number of household chores they can perform. Thus, Dr. Amrithlal. A. Mascarenhas, Consultant, Spine Surgery, Manipal Hospital Millers Road, Bengaluru, says it is important that a person maintain good posture while doing work at home and engage in regular exercises to strengthen the back.

“The very notion of exercising and strengthening the back and managing good posture is with the idea that a person can carry out regular household chores without resulting in back injury,” he adds.

Injury to the back is not a direct result of household chores, but rather because people do not engage in exercise, live sedentary lifestyles, exercise infrequently, and may be overweight. “Incorrect posture while doing housework for a longer period can cause issues like chronic back pain, slipped discs, and posture-related spinal problems,” Dr. Mascarenhas says.

So, household chores are not the real problem; the issue is looking at them as problematic. These activities need to be viewed in a positive light, and in addition to that, as part of the motor activity program as household exercises.

According to Dr. Jaspreet Singh Randhawa, Consultant, Neurosurgery, Livasa Hospital Mohali, household chores can hurt your spine. “Sweeping, mopping, and vacuum cleaning are the kinds of jobs that can give your back muscles a lot of work. They can cause your back to hurt and even harm it in the long run,” he says.

The primary cause of this back pain is poor lifting and bad posture. When we lift or bend in the wrong way, Dr. Randhawa says, we exert additional strain on our spine. This leads to issues such as backache, herniated discs, and degeneration of the spine.

So, how can you help keep your home spick and span while shielding your spine?

Here are a few easy tips:

Appropriately stretch and rest your back regularly by taking breaks.

Utilise ergonomic cleaning equipment, especially appropriate size.

By doing these easy steps, you can maintain a clean home and a healthy spine.

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