They are undervalued and underappreciated, hard workers who care for others and do their best to protect them. They can get tired and sore, and sometimes are overburdened to breaking point.
Your glutes!
Wait, did you think I was talking about childcare workers? Well all of that applies to them too, but my expertise lies in joints, ligaments and muscles, not in caring for children (just ask my wife)!
I mean, I do clean the odd snotty nose and every now and again can hold my breath long enough to change my son’s nappy… but I digress! Read that opening paragraph again, and forget what I said about neglecting my son (I’m an expert at tickling him and excel at giving him an awesome mohawk when he’s in the bath).
Any person who stands with a ‘lazy’ hip (see: childcare workers juggling 3 babies at once) is at risk of eventually developing some kind of hip disorder. The likely culprits are muscle tears, tendon tears or tendinopathies, or bursitis. When you realise that women between the ages of 18-65 are the most common population for these hip pathologies, you start to see why childcare workers might be at greater risk than other working populations.
The main symptoms of these hip pathologies include weakness, pain and discomfort, mainly with walking, stairs, standing long periods, and sleeping. The clinical signs we often see in our physio practice include muscle weakness, tightness, wastage, and acute tenderness to certain muscles, tendons and bony protruberances.
From my own experience, the vast majority of people who suffer from these issues seem to take a wait-and-see approach, and when that inevitably gets them nowhere, they come and see a physio, maybe after visiting a GP and getting a cortizone jab. Having imaging (X-Ray and Ultrasound) can be helpful for diagnostic purposes, and cortizone may help to relieve symptoms temporarily, but they are not requirements to getting better. Massage, dry needling, joint mobilisation, taping or any other hands on treatments will often help with symptom relief, but the one thing that is actually necessary in every single case of these hip pathologies is muscle strengthening. And not just any strengthening will do; the exercises need to be very specific and targeted, and done in a very specific fashion. And you’ll never guess who is best equipped to show you these exercises…
That’s right, your friendly LifeForce physio! So call 82892800 to make an appointment at LifeForce health solutions at Golden Grove to get started on rehabbing that troublesome hip (childcare worker or not!)
Call 8289 2800 to make a physiotherapy appointment at LifeForce health solutions at Golden Grove, to see what one of our experienced and friendly physiotherapists can do to help with your work-related condition. Alternatively, send us a message or comment on Facebook or via our website, and we’ll be in touch!
REFERENCES
Albers, I., Zwerver, J., Diercks, R., Dekker, J. and Van den Akker-Scheek, I. (2016). Incidence and prevalence of lower extremity tendinopathy in a Dutch general practice population: a cross sectional study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 17(1).
Grimaldi, A., Mellor, R., Hodges, P., Bennell, K., Wajswelner, H. and Vicenzino, B. (2015). Gluteal Tendinopathy: A Review of Mechanisms, Assessment and Management. Sports Medicine, 45(8), pp.1107-1119.
