This lockdown has really been a testing time for all the mothers at home. The family feels hungry every 3 hours and then because all are at home there are demands by all to make a restaurant like food. So our mothers end up cooking different dishes for all. It is her love that she never gets tired of cooking and feeding the family.

But are we even aware of what is this causing her? We know that majority of our mothers suffer from back pain. The postural cause is one of the major reasons for low backache. We often think that sitting causes pain, but then if we look at the difference in intradiscal pressure, if Sitting is 140 kg, standing isn’t far behind at 100kg.

Now, are we standing straight or we are leaning to one side most of the time. Cooking and cleaning utensils is an activity with a slight forward bend which increases the strain back to 150 -220 Kg which is higher than sitting.  

The lower back area is made up of stacked vertebral bones that form the spine and thus are responsible for our upright posture. These vertebras have a disc in between each of them that cause shock absorbance. They also have a joint on both sides known as the facet joint which allows movement in between spine.  Continuous standing causes more pressure at the joint level, and if inflamed then long-standing contributes to aggravated pain.

Maintaining the body in an upright position requires considerable muscular effort. Standing definitely reduces the blood supply to the loaded muscles. Insufficient blood flow accelerates the onset of fatigue or tiredness and causes pain in the muscles of the legs, back, and neck (since these are the muscles used to maintain an upright position).

Prolonged standing can also accelerate degeneration and thus increase the risk of arthritis. Another problem which is seen a lot nowadays is the problems with blood vessels. Long-standing with no break cause the blood vessels to pool in the foot and ankle causing varicose veins.

So here are some tips for loving moms who won't stop cooking, we know for sure:-                 

  • Keep shifting weights while standing. Don't stand on one leg-                 
  • Plan your work with frequent breaks by sitting in between for works like chopping and kneading.
  • Do not do all the dishes at once, either take help from family members or divide the utensils for washing.
  • Using a bar stool will be ideal for kitchen use, but for now, a normal chair will help too.-                 
  • Move more in the kitchen, whether its dancing or some simple ankle exercises like stretching calves and heels raises help a long way.-                 
  • When u take your sitting break to keep a cushion at your back and push it with your back muscles while squeezing the hip it helps a lot in restoring blood supply to back.-                 
  • Standing Back exercises can help to restore your back as well.

So this #MothersDay, rather from this mother’s day, take good care of your Best chef. Those of you who know a mother who has this issue of low back pain, the best gift would be Tele-Rehabilitation session to solve her pain.