Stretching Pros and Cons Toolbox Talk

Stretching Pros and Cons Safety Talk

Stretching is an important part of avoiding injuries. It is so easy to strain, sprain, or tear a muscle in your body when your body is not conditioned properly.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 272,780 cases of injuries resulting in musculoskeletal disorders in 2018. When people endure these types of injuries, it requires them to take time off of work. Construction projects can easily fall behind schedule when employees need to take unplanned time away from the jobsite.

Ways to avoid strains and sprains

There are some safe work habits that you can adopt to help avoid being injured. Lifting heavy items is a common task in construction, but it's also an easy way to strain a muscle.

Engineering controls should be utilized to work as effectively and safely as you can. If your job involves manually lifting heavy items, try implementing stretching routines beforehand. When your muscles are warmed up, you are less likely to sustain an injury.

Benefits of stretching before strenuous activity

It’s pretty common advice to stretch before a workout. But do you stretch before work? The Mayo Clinic says there are benefits to stretching before beginning strenuous activities. If your job includes bending, straining, and lifting, some basic stretches before the workday begins may help.

A few of the benefits of stretching include:

• Improved flexibility

• Improved posture

• Improved range of motion for joints

• Decreased back pain

• Increased muscle function

• Reduced chance of injury due to job tasks

The benefit debate

There is ongoing debate about the benefits of stretching before work. Some experts say it is a great idea, while others don’t see the true benefit of reduced injuries at work. It is more of a personal decision on whether it works for you.

If you choose to stretch before you begin your workday, it won’t cause any harm. There are, however, conflicting opinions on whether stretching helps reduce work-related injuries.

Whether you choose to stretch or not, you still need to take other safety precautions to avoid getting hurt.

How to safely stretch

If you make the decision to stretch before work, you should know the proper techniques to do so safely. There are many instances of people pulling muscles during their stretching exercises. Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an Orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, does not advise you to put too much strain on cold muscles.

You should begin with some aerobic exercises to get warmed up before you stretch, and be careful not to push your body too hard. When you stretch, you should not be experiencing pain. If you continue increasing your stretching routine slowly, you will work your way up to greater flexibility.

Advice from the National Academy of Sports Medicine

Your body becomes more flexible as you condition it. When you first start a stretching routine, lean into your stretches just until you feel tension. At that point, you should stop pushing further into the stretch so you don't injure yourself. Hold that position for about 30 seconds and release.

If you injure yourself stretching, you'll set yourself back and potentially do more harm than good. You benefit most if you take things slowly.

If you are stretching for the prevention of an injury, or to reduce pain from a previous injury, seek out your medical doctor’s advice. They can help to instruct you on the proper ways to perform effective stretches.

You can get hurt stretching

When you are stretching, it is important to be aware of your limitations. You can stretch too much or too forcefully and injure yourself. Sometimes, there is a certain order in which you should stretch, especially, when you are performing different physically challenging tasks.

Stretches that you can try

As a construction professional, sometimes your work will require strenuous activity that can lead to injuries. You can help avoid these injuries with some basic stretches.

Some beneficial stretches to try are:

• Place your hands on your hips and twist at the hips right and left.

• Stand tall and stretch your arms above your head, hold for 15-30 seconds, and release.

• Bend and touch your toes, hold each bend for a few seconds.

• Shrug your shoulders up and down while inhaling and exhaling slowly.

• Place hands on your hips and tilt side to side.

• Relax your shoulders and roll them up and down.

All these stretches can be repeated a few times to get your body ready for your workday. It is your own personal decision if you feel they are beneficial to you.

Take breaks accordingly

When you lift heavy items or perform strenuous activity, frequent breaks are needed. If you perform tasks when you are overly tired or worn out, you are more likely to injure yourself. It can help immensely to take a 15-30 minute break to rest and recover.

Take that time to sit down for a minute or two. This is also a good time to perform a few stretches if you feel they help you. The same ones you used to start your day can be repeated as needed.

Safety always comes first

If you feel that stretching helps you work more safely, then you should make it a regular part of your workday.

It is important that everyone on the jobsite works in the safest manner possible.