By farmnewsNOW Staff

Physiotherapist encourages physical movement during

Aug 29, 2023 | 11:59 AM

It’s not uncommon for producers to spend more than 12 hours at a time in a machine or grain truck during harvest. So, it’s important to move or stand, even if just for a brief period according to a Saskatchewan physiotherapist.

Trevor Donald of Donald Physiotherapy in Saskatoon and Davidson knows farmers are faced with seasonal demands and geographical constraints which may lead them to push through pain.

“Having grown up on a farm, I get it – I know the time crunch especially when the weather is off and on…but often in harvest, early morning is a time when you can work on some other things and there are options where most physio clinics now do virtual appointments over Zoom or a similar type platform which means you don’t even have to come into town.”

Lack of movement and vibrations from the machines can lead to ailments like stiff necks and lower back pain.

“The bigger problem is when someone jumps out of the equipment after sitting for a long period of time and then have to move something like an auger or do heavy lifting and that’s when we tend to see some of these injuries,” Donald said.

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He explained bodies are built to move and joints get lubrication from a sponge mechanism that relies on movement. Sitting in a particular position for long can add extra stress and strain on the tissues in the back. While he said sitting is unavoidable, there are things that can be done to prevent injury in the first place.

“First and foremost we want to make sure we’re in a good sitting position,” Donald said. “A lot of this new equipment has good adjustments of the seats, up and down, forward and back if we can. The general goal is we want our hips and our knees and ankles at as close to 90 degrees as we can. Some kind of lumbar support in and behind the lower back will definitely help,” he said.

Beyond that, just moving around can make things easier. Donald suggests setting a timer for every 20 minutes to half hour. Moving in the seat itself by fidgeting around or actually standing for even just a few seconds can have a tremendous effect on preventing problems. Leg extensions, rocking hips back and forth and even bending side to side can help. Also being properly hydrated is important to prevent overall body fatigue and promote alertness.

“Like any injury, the earlier we see it, the faster we can help out with it and prevent some of those small problems from becoming big problems,” Donald said.

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