Carrying heavy loads on head dangerous —Expert

Although it is a common practice in many African communities, a professor in orthopaedic physiotherapy, says that carrying heavy loads on the head is dangerous.

Professor Babatunde Adegoke, who spoke at a meeting of the Association of Clinical and Academic Physiotherapists of Nigeria, as part of activities to mark the 2017 World Physiotherapy Day, said overtime, this causes damages in the neck region.

According to him, “when you carry heavy weights on your head on a regular basis, overtime, you are actually damaging your cervical region, and in the future, you stand a risk of having problem in this part of the body.

“What you are doing is that you are putting so much pressure or compressing the structure in the neck. If this is already weak, then you are likely to have more pain that will radiate to your arm.

“So, there is a limit to how much weight you should put on your head, otherwise, you are endangering your health.

“A hausa man that fetches water balances its weight over his shoulders and not on the head, which is better.

“Even in lifting objects, sometimes, people do not know how to lift properly. We often use our back to lift, and that is wrong. When you want to lift, you squat, lift the object and then stand up. This way, you are using the strong muscles in the thigh rather than the ones in the back.”

Also speaking at the event, Dr Ayodeji Fabunmi war against unregulated opening of gymnasiums in the country, saying many are not manned by trained persons.

Fabunmi, also an exercise physiotherapist, who remarked that different forms of exercises can be used for different therapeutic purposes, stated that “there are right ways of doing exercises, otherwise you will injure yourself.”

He added: “Whoever is handling a gymnasium should know about exercises, not somebody who has no training about exercise but has the equipment.

“A fitness trainer must also be certified to be able to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation, so that in case your client passes out, you will be able to resuscitate such.”

Dr Fabunmi remarked that one of the criteria for government to register any gymnasium should include such a place having a physiotherapist to lead the establishment.

According to him, “exercises need to prescribed and tailored towards a specific purpose.  If this is not the case, it will just be a case of garbage in and garbage out. Exercises to improve on fitness are not the same as those for building muscles.”