How R’fonteiners are under stress

Randfonteiners have their fare share of stress-causing situations. From driving to the outskirts of town for work to battling financial constraints on a daily basis, community members have to deal with a tough lifestyle.

Samantha Stacey, a local biokinetics practitioner, has identified behaviour during stressful situations as one of the main causes of the health problems experienced by Randfontein’s residents. She says while most people believe it is stress itself that causes tight muscles, pain and discomfort, it is actually everyday behavioural habits that cause these problems.

“When you are stressed, you automatically tighten your shoulders to concentrate better. With that your shoulder blades move upwards and each time this happens a little piece of your muscle deteriorates as the blade brushes against it,” she said.

She says this is the true cause of neck and back pain and treating it with anti-stress medicine only takes away the pain temporarily instead of treating the muscle.

“Months go by and you think the medicine isn’t working, but it’s actually a damaged muscle, not an emotional problem.”

She added there are also factors such as desk organisation that can contribute to pains associated with stress. Samantha says simple changes to your work station can help reduce these pains. Moving your computer, keyboard or laptop closer to your body is one of the things she mentions that could help reduce back, shoulder and neck pain.

“If your keyboard is far away from your body, your arms have to reach further to type. This means your shoulder blades move towards each other and your back muscles are permanently flexed while you are typing.

However, if you move the keyboard closer to your body, your arms are tucked in and your shoulder blades and muscles are then more relaxed.”

She also mentions that using a cellphone can put strain on your neck muscles. “When looking down at your cellphone, the weight of your head increases, as it is no longer the centre of gravity. If your head is not parallel to your body, your neck muscles are flexed. When the semi-permanently flexed muscles finally relax when you look up, these muscles have already been damaged.”

With 95 per cent of Randfontein residents using cellphones on a regular basis, it is no wonder locals suffer from stress-associated pains so often.

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