Is this a lot of heavy lifting that can cause injury over time?

[Anonymous]

This is my current job at the moment.

There are 90 boxes in total, there's more behind the front row.

The boxes get delivered to me by truck and the truckies stack them nicely there.

Half the morning I lift one box at a time to my desk. There's about 15-17 folders inside each box. I'm checking for important documents and then have to clear paper documents of the files to the destruction bin.

I've been lifting about 7 boxes a day and standing while take out the content.

Not a glamorous job but at least I have one.

Lately I've been having bad shoulder and back pain.

For the last month I've now noticed foot pain.

My ankles feels tight like they're being suffocated. The ball of my foot hurts when I walk, if I get up too quickly or stand for a long time I start to feel dizzy.

I've not had the foot issue before. Just in the last month.

I've been lifting these boxes for almost a year.

Can my foot and shoulder problems be the cause from these boxes?

[SueShe]

Yes of course. Lifting heavy boxes day in and day out can lead to backpain, knee and neck injury because of the weight you place on your vertebrae.

If, in addition, you do a rotating movement with your spine as when you pick up a box, turn around 90 degrees while leaving your feet on the same spot, it will definitely harm your back.

You should wear one of those large lumbar belt to support your lower back because that is usually where you will start feeling the pain first. Avoid rotation movement and keep the boxes close to your body without extending the arms when you move them from one location to the other.

Ask your employer to give you one of those lumbar belts. Good luck.

[HawkPerception]

Every bit of physical activity wears on your cartilage, joints, and tendons. It all adds up over time and it's bound to happen to all of us. You can do stuff to alleviate the pains and reduce the pace at which they wear down. You should always practice stretching, eating foods, and having drinks that are anti-inflammatory.

The best thing you can do is stretching through.

https://youtu.be/XeXz8fIZDCE?si=l-HDu37MVMJpTwec

[exitseven]

Doing repetitive tasks can cause excessive wear on your tendons and joints. I know guys in the trades and by the time they were in their 40s they had bad knees and shoulders, Most had back problems as well.

I had a hip replacement. I think it was because of all the running I did.

[Asker]

Sorry to hear about your hip replacement. Hope you're doing ok now.
Yeah the truckie guys that deliver these to me always look tired to and they're in their mid 30s. One of them told me he used to deliver these boxes to the old office which had no lift/elevator. Poor guy.

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO😎

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Maybe so. Quit that sorry job. Maybe take little less pay somewhere else but at least you're not killing yourself in the process.

[Asker]

I've been thinking about quitting, it's really tiring me out. I'm 40 but feel like I have a body of an 80 year old doing this. I'd rather have less pay and sit at a desk than do this

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Do it. We all die in the end anyways