Novel stretching and strength-building exercise recommendations for computer-based workers during the COVID-19 quarantine

What is it about?

hina, after assessment of multiple cases of acute respiratory infection and identification of a novel strain of coronavirus [1] The causative pathogen of this disease is a mutant and novel virus from the coronavirus family called SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), which has spread across the word in a few months [2]. The World Health Organization (WHO) sent out notifications on January 30, 2020 that the outbreak of COVID-19 disease is a global health emergency and announced on March 11 that the disease had reached pandemic levels [3, 4]. Based on the analysis of disease spread statistics, China has managed to reduce the number of daily infections [5]. Many epidemiologists believe that many successes in controlling the virus in China have been due to the swift action taken by the authorities to impose quarantine conditions on the vast majority of their people [6]. Therefore, major countries that have been particularly effected by COVID-19 (such as the USA, Germany, Iran, Spain, Italy, etc.) have adopted similar strategies and the WHO and the Ministry of Health have required home quarantine as a disease control mechanism [7, 8]. The onset of a sudden quarantine indicates a fundamental change in people’s lifestyles. Although a quarantine period appears to be an effective strategy to stop the contagion, the lock-down may have significant effects on other aspects of the health of isolated patients. Travel restrictions and outdoor activities inevitably disrupt a person’s daily activities. Therefore, such individuals are more likely to experience inadequate physical activity, increased immobility, anxiety and depression, which may pose significant health and well-being risks [9]. The world has been living with another pandemic for a number of years – physical inactivity that has been identified as one of the four leading contributors to premature mortality [10, 11]. It is established that inadequate physical activity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and respiratory diseases, which are also risk factors for the COVID-19 [12–14]. In addition, following decreases in physical activity, the muscles (especially the muscles of the back) get weak and can become atrophied, which can cause musculoskeletal pain such as low back pain, neck pain or pain in the shoulder region [15–18]. In today’s modern and industrialized world, many people utilize a laptop, personal computer or smartphone for a variety of purposes, including communication, entertainment, work, and other daily activities. It is reasonable to assume that usage of such devices is increasing due to home quarantine. In a previous study, Qin et al. acknowledged that during the quarantine period, the number of Chinese citizens with inadequate physical activity was more than twice the global prevalence, and their screen time was more than four hours per day [19]. This also implied that physical activity may be used as an effective way to decrease sedentary screen time, especially for young adults. Studies show that physical exercise is an effective way to reduce the risk of development of cardiovascular diseases and death [13]. Exercise therapy is a known non-pharmacological treatment in developed and developing countries for people suffering from physical, physiological or psychological problems [20]. Exercise is not only effective on physical issues but can also improve physiological and psychological aspects of individuals at work and home. Official measures that restrict people’s movements in the presence of the coronavirus crisis do not necessarily mean that physical activity must be limited or that all forms of exercise must be eliminated entirely. There is a strong health reason to continue physical activity at home to stay healthy and maintain immune system function in the current unfavorable situation. The home-based fitness regimens should be easy to do without the need for special equipment and come with clear instructions. Therefore, it is critically important to promote a healthy lifestyle by offering more suggestions and professional fitness guidance for people staying at home, especially those who are working with computers during the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. Thus, publicly available, and evidence-based professional exercise and fitness health guidelines for computer-based worker in epidemic areas are indispensable. The principle elements for a proper exercise program that is confined to the home environment are exercise modality, frequency of practice, volume and intensity. A multicomponent exercise program includes aerobic training, resistance training, and stretching components [21]. Thus, we describe these features in three main parts: aerobic training, resistance training and stretching training. Each component meets the frequency, intensity, time and type (FITT) recommendations for individuals with clinical conditions and for healthy individuals with special considerations. Even if an individual cannot meet the recommended targets, performing some exercise is beneficial, especially in inactive or deconditioned individuals, and, for this reason, should be encouraged except where there are safety concerns.

Featured Image

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Prolonged home stays due to the COVID-19 quarantine can increase the use of computers and other technologies that may lead to significant reduction in activity, contributing to musculoskeletal problems, anxiety and depression.

Perspectives