would running help with a job that requires standing?

[deh707]

my friend just got a job at a grocery store. he stands 5 or 8 hours.

he says his knees/feet hurt for the rest of the day.

i wonder how i would feel, with all of the running/sprinting that i do.

but i'm not gonna waste 5-8 hours of standing up just to see how it feels.


what do you guys think? what kind of exercises would help so that its easier to stand 5-8 hours on a job like that?

[ferocity]

When i used to be in the gym and running, I had a job at the time that required me to stand for 8 1/2 hours 6 days a week. I had no trouble doing the physical work.

[fraidycat]

Yes, and no. He would probably get more relief from taking regular breaks to stretch. Most of the pain in the knees from standing comes from tendons and connective tissues that are being worked, but not stretched -- this can lead to tendonitis and bursitis. You've got to keep the blood flowing down there. I had knee problems in my job (maintenance lead at a manufacturing plant) for the first year or so until I started stretching regularly. I walk 5-6 miles per day; I'm on my feet and moving probably 6 hours a day, carrying at least my toolbelt (15 lbs) if not something actually heavy. Running stairs has increased my endurance on the job quite a bit, but above all, I'd make sure that he's stretching.

[deh707]

what type of stretches are the best?

[fraidycat]

what type of stretches are the best?

You need to do them all. I do hamstring, low-back, groin, calf / gastrocenemius, and quads, plus my shoulders, pecs, and neck. It takes about ten minutes every morning, and then maybe two minutes a few times per day. I like sustained, 15-to-20 second stretches, just short of the pain point, a couple in each direction. No bouncing.

[potatoes]

Yes, and no. He would probably get more relief from taking regular breaks to stretch. Most of the pain in the knees from standing comes from tendons and connective tissues that are being worked, but not stretched -- this can lead to tendonitis and bursitis. You've got to keep the blood flowing down there. I had knee problems in my job (maintenance lead at a manufacturing plant) for the first year or so until I started stretching regularly. I walk 5-6 miles per day; I'm on my feet and moving probably 6 hours a day, carrying at least my toolbelt (15 lbs) if not something actually heavy. Running stairs has increased my endurance on the job quite a bit, but above all, I'd make sure that he's stretching.

Stretching, good idea!

Do you know that stretching has come under disrepute lately and there is some dubious science to back it up? The CDC claims that stretching is useless, but the truth is the CDC is useless and should have been axed years ago.

[NJFighter91]

dude...tell him to stop bitchin...

my friends always complain about standing for hours at shoprite...

atleast ur not working in the freezing cold or really hot weather outside...

[deh707]

well, obviously for his first time working, he didn't expect it to be that painful.

now he just wants to know if it will be like this everyday, or his body will get used to it, and it wont be a problem later on.

[NJFighter91]

tell ur "friend" that hell get used to it...