The Physical Effects of Staying At Home

With stay-at-home orders in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans are far less active than usual. For most, being quarantined means adopting a sedentary lifestyle. Unfortunately, being seated for the majority of the day, day in and day out, can have serious effects on your physical health.

Here, we’ll review the health effects of an inactive lifestyle. Additionally, we’ll cover the solutions available from Dr. Neel Amin to offset these health concerns.

How Does Staying At Home Impact Physical Health?

Staying at home to curb the spread of COVID-19 is changing the way that people live their lives. Now, our lifestyles are less active and we’re spending more time sitting down. This lack of activity can, over time, cause serious physical pain.

Physical risks of prolonged inactivity include:

• Increased inflammation
• Lowered blood circulation
• Loss of muscle strength
• Loss of stamina
• Lowered metabolism
• Weight gain

Long-Term Effects of an Inactive Lifestyle

Chronic pain is a major concern for individuals living an inactive lifestyle. In particular, neck and back pain is more likely to develop when you spend hours each day in a seated position. This is because your spine becomes compressed when you remain seated. This places strain on the entire spine and can lead to injuries such as herniated discs.

Muscle atrophy is another major concern associated with a sedentary lifestyle. When you don’t use your muscles as frequently as you normally would, they begin to shrink. Muscular strength is important for injury prevention.

Effective Pain Relief Methods

Dr. Neel Amin’s multidisciplinary treatment approach can be especially helpful for patients experiencing pain from an inactive lifestyle. This includes physical therapy, postural training, strength and flexibility training, therapeutic exercise, and home exercise programs. These pain-relieving methods can often be carried out at home, allowing you to manage pain while staying in quarantine.

Additional treatment options for individuals with pain from being sedentary include:

• Advanced pain procedures such as epidurals, facet injections, RFAs, etc
• Advanced manual therapy techniques such as massage therapy
• Joint mobilization and joint injections
• Nerve Block injections, trigger point therapy and myofascial release
• Stem Cell and PRP injections for all types of pain
• CBD oil
• Spinal Cord Stimulators
• And many other modalities to conquer your pain

Physical pain has an impact on your emotional health, too. In this already difficult time, taking care of your body with rehabilitative methods can help you cope more effectively, both physically and emotionally.

To learn more about the treatments available from Dr. Neel Amin, please contact our office today.