Beware of Spine Health and Hand Injuries While Sacrificing!

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Specialist Associate Professor Ahmet İnanır gave important information on the subject. Even if the restrictions are lifted during the coronavirus period, we should still take precautions on Eid al-Adha this year. We need to pay attention to our posture for the health of our spine while slaughtering sacrifices on the upcoming Eid al-Adha. In addition, care should be taken against hand injuries.

Suggestions to protect spine health during the Feast of Sacrifice;

Lifting heavy and working in the same position for a long time negatively affects the health of the back and neck. Back and neck hernias may occur due to heavy lifting and working in the same position for a long time during the Eid al-Adha. Due to standing in the same position for a long time, contraction of the neck muscles and neck stiffness are common. Staying in the same position for a long time while performing the procedures related to the victim causes both old problems to become chronic and new problems to emerge. Working in the same position can make an underlying disc problem symptomatic. For this reason, one should not work in the same position for hours, take a break and change positions in between. Lifting should be done on the knees and perpendicular to the ground. The principle of lifting by sharing the load is important, not alone.

What should hernia patients pay attention to when sacrificing? What are your recommendations?

While loading on the spine, it should be tried to get up by bending our knees and standing on the knees from the ground, with the waist straight. Inappropriately, improperly loaded loads at inappropriate angles create more and sudden pressure on the spine, muscles, ligaments and knees. This causes herniated discs, back stiffness or knee problems. In the first place, pain seen with burning in the waist and limitation of movement, pain spreading along the hip and leg in the later period, and movement restrictions, gait disturbances, and if it progresses, even sudden loss of strength may develop. Pain, which is usually ignored and tried to be relieved with painkillers, can cause more serious problems in the future. For this reason, it is necessary to care about the pain and to see a specialist doctor as soon as possible, to determine whether the source of the pain is serious or not and to act consciously.

While the sacrifice is being slaughtered or the meat is chopped, the working environment should also be ergonomic, that is, it should not tilt the waist or neck. Our chair should be neither too high nor too low compared to our table. A chair should be in such a way that the angle between our knees and our feet can be 90 degrees and it should be at a height where you can work comfortably. During the holiday, we should pay attention to our spine health, should not work by standing in the same positions for a long time and should not sit for a long time. We should avoid overloading the waist and knees. A waist corset that will be used while carrying or cutting the victim will prevent you from making sudden movements and will prevent you from experiencing low back pain or herniated disc. While carrying the sacrificial meat, it is necessary to distribute it equally to both hands, and there are serious benefits to holding it close to the body. While sitting and working, we should pay attention to positioning in suitable positions and make this a lifestyle.