HOME RENOVATIONS DO’S AND DONT ’S As many people are spending more time at home due to the pandemic, many homeowners are taking on mini home renovation projects to improve their home. Whether it may be minor cosmetic changes such as a fresh paint job for your room or a DIY project using hand held tools such as a hammer or screwdriver, it is important to be mindful of your body mechanics to minimize stress on your joints which can lead to muscle strains and inflamed tendons. Repetitive movements such as painting and using a screwdriver (or any hand tool) can cause elbow pain and neck pain, therefore to avoid pain follow these DO’s and DON’T’s :
DO’s when using a screwdriver • Always try to match the screwdriver to fit your grip. Use a smaller screwdriver head if you have a smaller grip. This means less power is needed to grip. Over gripping can strain the tendons in your elbow. • Take frequent breaks as needed. Repeated motion can strain tendons overtime DONT’s when using a screwdriver • DO NOT apply excessive force, lean in or push onto the screwdriver
DO’s when Painting • Keep your shoulders, hips and knees pointing in the same direction. • Keep a neutral head position whenever possible and use a larger paint roller with an extended handle held at chest height to avoid overstretching of your neck • If you are experiencing fatigue in your neck and arm, take a break to perform neck stretches to prevent neck and arm pain. Bring left ear to left shoulder while keeping your head positioned slightly forward. The stretch should be felt on the opposed side of head bend. Hold for 30 secs and repeat on the other side.
DONT’s when painting • DO NOT slouch your shoulders forward.
• DO NOT keep your neck in an extended position for prolonged periods of time. This can put a great amount of stress on the spinal cord and nerves.
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