If you spend many hours sitting behind your office desk or behind the wheel of your vehicle, you may experience a variety of illnesses. It is no coincidence, for example, that about 78% of truck drivers today report musculoskeletal disorders. These problems can often be overcome by performing proper physical activity. This is why Smet Logistics has decided to provide its drivers with a complete training system.

The gym on board the truck

Even if the driving time requirements are strictly adhered to, the long hours at the wheel, often assuming incorrect positions, on sessions that are not always comfortable, expose truck drivers to a greater risk of contracting occupational diseases. In most cases, as recommended by experts, proper physical activity can help reduce the risk of illness.

For this reason, on board our fleet of vehicles we have decided to install some simple sports equipment, to create a complete training system. In this way, at the end of their driving time, drivers will be able to perform exercises that will help to prevent some of the main diseases, among the most common for those who lead a sedentary life.

Recommended physical activity to reduce the risk of disease

Physical activity, in order to produce positive results on the body, must be constant. For a healthy life, in fact, it is sufficient to perform a physical activity, even light, which on the week may be of:

• 100 – 150 minutes: produces a minimum weight reduction;
• 150 – 250 minutes: can lead to a reduction of 2 – 3 kilograms, in 6 – 12 months;
• 250 – 400 minutes: allows weight reductions between 5 – 7 kilograms, in 6 – 12 months;
• 300 minutes: this is the optimal activity to reduce the risk of pathologies and mortality.

As most people know, this should be accompanied by a balanced diet and an adequate number of hours of sleep. Moreover, there are many occupational diseases among truck drivers. Let’s find out the main ones.

The occupational diseases of truck drivers

The occupational diseases of truck drivers, in reality, are numerous and the subject of various health studies. The sedentary life of those who, for most of their day, remain seated in the same position, leads to numerous disorders. The first of these, of course, is obesity and, with it, all the disorders it causes. Not only low back pain, therefore, but also cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Let’s see the main pathologies of truck drivers.

Pathologies of the cardiovascular system

The dozens of studies on cardiovascular diseases are all in agreement: their incidence in the case of professional drivers is higher than that of the rest of the population. In particular, some studies have found a higher incidence with regard to drivers of long-range vehicles

Respiratory diseases

In addition to cardiovascular diseases, there are also diseases of the respiratory system. Studies conducted on professional drivers have shown a greater exposure of these, compared to the population, to respiratory diseases. However, unlike other truck drivers’ illnesses, in this case there was a greater exposure of the drivers of passenger transport.

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system

Numerous clinical studies have examined the pathologies of truck drivers affecting the musculoskeletal system. Among truck drivers, for example, about 59% have low back pain. In most cases, these symptoms are related to the number of hours a driver drives.

In addition to back problems, there are also limb problems. As far as the lower limbs are concerned, the most frequent, accounting for about 29.3% of cases, are related to the knees. In another 22.2% of cases, then, the disorders are borne by the hip or thigh. As far as the upper limbs are concerned, on the other hand, in 17.5% of the cases the disorders affect the arms, while in 10.8% of the cases they affect the elbow.