Our Topic Picks of Best Steel Toe Work Boots for Standing on Concrete All Day – Reviewed

Concrete has built up an excellent reputation for being strong and versatile. Still, it is not the best surface to be walking on for long periods, especially for construction workers. The reason construction workers are at higher risk while working on concrete is that they have to walk on it all day long, often while carrying heavy loads.

This creates a tremendous amount of pressure on the joints of the lower body, including the knees, ankles, and feet. Sometimes, the pain in these joints could be a sign of slow bone damage. Either way, these consequences tend to reduce a worker’s productivity drastically.

So what exactly are the long-term consequences of standing on concrete?

Back Pain

According to a study done at ETH Zurich in Switzerland by a team of scientific investigators, standing for long periods is significantly associated with prolonged muscle fatigue in the lower extremities. This fatigue may then increase the long-term risk of developing back pain among a variety of musculoskeletal disorders.

Muscle fatigue and musculoskeletal disorders account for about a third of all worker injuries and illnesses. Millions of workers around the world have jobs that require long periods of standing at work like construction workers, carpenters, teachers, bank tellers, assembly line workers, security guards, traffic enforcers, and many more. Standing for most of the day at work can be detrimental to this particular demographic because it is associated with fatigue, backaches, and muscle cramp, particularly in the leg.

Regardless of one’s gender or even age, workers who spend most of their time standing are more likely to experience a high level of muscle fatigue or strain. When standing, muscles particularly in the back and in the lower extremities, are maintained at a high-stress position. This is because they are supporting the entire body. This can result in exhaustion and pain not only in the lower back but also in the legs, ankles, and feet.

One major contribution to this muscle fatigue and pain is that standing takes a heavy toll on the joints. It places immense pressure on the hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint. This pressure decreases the normal lubrication and cushioning of these joints, causing them to dry out and eventually tear. This wear and tear of the joints make it painful not only to stand but also to walk.

Varicosity

Another consequence of prolonged periods of standing is the development of so-called varicose veins. Standing pulls the blood towards the lower parts of the body, mainly due to the gravity. This mechanism is mostly due to the valves in the veins becoming weaker as a result of standing for very long periods.

When this happens, the valves cannot push the blood back into the heart as effectively because their distensibility is compromised. As a result, there is pooling of blood in these veins causing them to expand further. The valves of the vein work best when coupled with regular muscle contractions. While standing, the muscles become stationary, and they become weakened as time goes by, which contributes to the formation of varicose veins and other circulatory disorders, including hypertension.

Because standing for long periods can significantly alter the distribution of blood in one’s extremities, the blood pools, and therefore decreases the blood plasma volume that circulates in our body. This is associated with the advancement of atherosclerotic disease. It also increases the risk of coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, carotid artery disease, and aneurysms.