On your feet all day? Try these 7 tips to prevent pain

Whether you’re caring for patients, cutting hair, fixing cars, or wrangling kids in a classroom or at home, being on your feet all day can do a number on your feet, legs, and back.  

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that prolonged standing can lead to low back pain, fatigue, muscle pain, leg swelling, and overall discomfort. And those impacts are worse when you’re standing in place.

People whose jobs require a lot of standing can find themselves with injuries of all sorts, notes James Casady, M.P.T., president of Boston area-based Platinum Physical Therapy. Casady says the most common injuries among his clients who are on their feet all day include plantar fasciitis (tissue inflammation that causes pain felt near the heel), knee pain, and low back pain.

And yes, sitting all day is associated with its own set of aches, like tight hips and a stiff neck. But the pains associated with prolonged standing tend to appear sooner and with more intensity.  

Here are seven strategies to relieve pain and stress so that you can stay healthy for the long haul.  

Strategy #1: Pad your work area

“People end up standing on concrete or hard surfaces all day,” Casady says. “It’s extra hard on all your joints.” If your work environment allows for it, find a thick pad, at least an inch thick, to stand on. This helps take the stress off the joints.

Strategy #2: Invest in the right footwear

If you’re standing or walking on your feet all day, you’ll need shoes that offer as much support as possible. Try something with good arch support, such as a running shoe or the supportive rubber clogs or shoes that medical professionals and chefs sometimes wear. If your workplace requires closed shoes, invest in over-the-counter orthotics, or gel insoles, for extra support.

Strategy #3: Lift with your legs, not your back

“You always hear it, but it’s true: Bend your knees,” Casady advises. “Make sure you’re using your legs and not your back. The muscles in the legs are much bigger than the muscles in the back, so you want to take the strain off the back.”

Strategy #4: Change your position

Exactly how to change your movement is situation-specific, but all people should be mindful of changing their positions occasionally. “If you sit all day, take standing breaks. If you stand all day, take sitting or walking breaks. Change your posture,” Casady says.  

Strategy #5: Ensure your hands are at a natural height

If you’re doing repetitive work, whether on an assembly line or at home, be aware of where your project is physically in relation to your eyes, hands, and waist. If you’re standing in front of a conveyor belt or a chopping table all day, Casady says, “You want whatever your hands are doing to be at a natural height in front of you. You don’t want to bend forward, and you don’t want to reach up to do work for eight or more hours a day.”  

The work should be positioned at waist height and directly in front of you. Avoid reaching off to one side or the other, leaning, and twisting the waist or back in a repetitive motion.

Strategy #6: Avoid locking your knees

Standing with perfectly straight legs and locked knees puts pressure on your skeletal system that can lead to pain. Keeping your knees slightly bent allows your leg muscles to share the force more evenly.

Strategy #7: Take breaks to move

Depending on what your work environment allows, take a break at least every hour for three to five minutes. If you can take even a quick walk around the room or to the bathroom, do it. If you can’t leave your station, or if you’re caring for someone and can’t leave them alone, march in place or move in whatever way gives the repetitive work a pause. “Static nonmovement is what hurts us the most,” Casady says. And as often as possible, stretch. Do forward bends, rowing motions, and arm and leg stretches.

Next time you’re on your feet all day, try these easy-to-implement strategies to protect your body. They can help you get back to doing what you love, without the aches and pains.