As summer draws to a close, and the weather cools, many homeowners start reaching for ladders and tools to begin much needed repairs and painting jobs both inside and outside the house. As a physical therapist, I see many patients who sustain injuries from doing work around their homes. While some of these injuries are traumatic in nature, most of them are more subtle strains and sprains. My patient’s recent visit brought to light some of the problems anyone can encounter using a ladder.
I must state the obvious and note that any work with a ladder must be conducted with the utmost safety in mind. The National Safety Council has excellent tips and techniques to ensure that you are safe when working with or on any ladder (see www.nsc.org).
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There are a number of potentially stressful situations for the body when working on a ladder. Let’s start at the “top”.
- 1. Frequently, work on a ladder involves looking upward at a ceiling, window or roof. By the very nature of this activity, there is a tendency for the neck and head to be bent backward for long periods to visualize the task at hand. Having the neck arched backward for extended amounts of time can result in muscle strain as well as irritation of the joints between the vertebrae. A similar situation occurs in the mid and lower back which also has a tendency to arch rearward as we reach overhead.
- 2. Keeping our standing position on the ladder will usually lead to hyperextending our knees. For many people, this can cause pain behind the knee and in the upper calf.
- 3. And lastly, there is the issue of simply standing still on the hard rung of the ladder. This can put considerable pressure into the arch of the foot and irritate a tissue known as the plantar fascia.
Fear not. Some simple measures can be done to avoid having these stresses turn into injuries.
1. Be aware of the tendency to arch the neck, head and spine backward when you are working on a ladder.
- a. Every 15 minutes, gently tuck your chin inward toward your throat.
- b. Hold that position for 5 seconds and repeat 3 times.
- c. As soon as you descend the ladder, sit down and slowly lean forward toward the floor to stretch your lower back.
- d. Again, hold this position for 5 seconds and do 3 repetitions.
2. Preserve your knees and calves with these exercises. These exercises will reduce the accumulated strain on the rear of the knee from standing in the hyperextended position on the ladder.
- a. When you are off the ladder, rise up and down on your toes 10 times.
- b. Then gently pull your heel up toward your buttock on each leg and hold 5 seconds for 3 repetitions.
3. Then, to preserve the arch of your foot, here are some best practices and tips.
- a. When using a ladder, wear work shoes that have a more rigid sole to protect the arch of the foot from the pressure of the ladder rung.
- b. Avoid wearing sneakers which will deform quickly under your body weight and allow the foot to sink over the hard rung.
- c. Also, frequently “scrunch” your toes in your shoes after you have come down the ladder. This will increase blood circulation to the feet.
So go ahead and dust off that ladder and attack those fall projects. Practicing these simple tips and exercises will go a long way to making sure you stay healthy as you work on turning your house into a beautiful home.
