Do your legs hurt after standing for 8 hours?

[OperatingThetan]

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My hips hurt after standing for prolonged periods of time. After eight hours on my feet I can barely move and hobble about like an old woman until the following morning. I am 31 years old and not overweight.

Does this kind of pain subside after working every day in a pharmacy?

 

[Unraveling]

Yes, when I first started working as an intern I thought I was going to die from the pain in my legs and feet. It goes away after about two weeks of standing every day.

 

[Sparda29]

When I started, yeah, but my leg muscles have undergone hypertrophy in the 30 months I've worked here.

 

[njac]

it's all about the shoes.

I recommend Dansko clogs.

 

[JeremyE30]

Quit sitting in your parent's basement playing World of Warcraft all day and go out and build some lower body strength. You won't have to sound like a baby on the internets posting threads about how your legs might hurt after working in a conditioned environment lifting milligrams worth of weight all day. Go work construction busting concrete with a jackhammer this summer, REALITY, you're 31 years old, come on.

 

[konkan]

Quit sitting in your parent's basement playing World of Warcraft all day and go out and build some lower body strength. You won't have to sound like a baby on the internets posting threads about how your legs might hurt after working in a conditioned environment lifting milligrams worth of weight all day. Go work construction busting concrete with a jackhammer this summer, REALITY, you're 31 years old, come on.

Listen, young ******, people start having pain from long standing not because of weak leg muscles, but because of pressure on their hips, knees, and ankles. And you cant train them. Back is a different story. Why do you think sport professionals retire from sports - they are all super-athletic, they all have very well trained leg muscles, but joints eventually wear out and give up.

 

[ernievdb]

Wow...Jeremy has tons of experience I see...

And yes, after a couple weeks the pain lessens some. I have the hardest time the first several days...the transition from sitting in class to standing 8-10 hours straight is not pleasant. I also agree, the correct shoes are key. They way I look at it, we will be standing everyday we work for the next couple decades...might as well spend the money on a good pair of shoes. The thing that gets me the most is the standing in one spot...there isn't a whole lot of walking behind the counter. Try walking around as much as you can.

 

[Hels2007]

Shoes are key. And move, rather than stand. Moving for 8 hours is easy, standing still is not, which is why my feet hurt more now when I am a pharmacist, than they ever did when I was an intern. Now I am typing and verifying most of the day, instead of shuttling between shelves, counter, drive-through, check-out window, etc. all day. One thing I can't do for long time is count - the counters were made for someone quite a bit shorter, and my back starts hurting if I am bend over like that for a couple hours, though I haven't had to do that since I was an intern.

 

[Scott80]

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[acetyl]

I hear ya. It's happened to me as well. Stretching before and after work and wearing the right shoes helps. You'll get used to it after a few weeks.

 

[dumbguy]

if you want to sit all day long, try mail order. Trust me, sitting down all day long is just as bad if not worse as standing all day long.

 

[OperatingThetan]

Are mail order jobs more competitive? I think the option to sit would be enticing for many. How does the pay compare to a brick and mortar pharmacy?

 

[dumbguy]

Are mail order jobs more competitive? I think the option to sit would be enticing for many. How does the pay compare to a brick and mortar pharmacy?

it's not competitive compared to retail. Mail order is enticing for all the lazy fat ass pharmacists who like sitting all day long. Pay is less than retail. The thing is in mail order, you are there to produce and they track your results and mistakes. It is way too picky and detailed than retail. Less interaction than retail. Sitting all day long, you start to develop hemmorhoids, your legs hurt, your back hurt, your hands hurt, your neck hurt, your head hurts, and your eyes strain froms staring at the monitor 8 hours a day.

 

[Sparda29]

There should be chairs there though to allow you to sit down once in a while.

Something I've seen at the store I've worked at in the last 30 months, on Saturdays we used to do like 120 scripts, we're coming close to 190 now.

Sundays, we used to do like 60, now we do like 120. Yet we are using the same or less amount of tech hours as before.

 

[fhx06]

Sitting for long durations of time can also be bad, especially if your whole lower body remains inactive.

 

[MountainPharmD]

My head, neck ,shoulders, back, legs, and feet are all screaming after 8 to 12 hour shifts with no break. Amazing we let the profession deteriorate to this.

 

[type b pharmD]

have any of you guys ever worked a physical labor job?? pharmacists have it made in the shade. try hauling and stacking 40 lb concrete blocks for a living (what i used to do)

 

[jawnly211]

have any of you guys ever worked a physical labor job?? pharmacists have it made in the shade. try hauling and stacking 40 lb concrete blocks for a living

HAHAHAH! you are asking this question in a pharmacy forum? i think the majority of people in here are pretty well educated and have never worked "labor" jobs

but to answer.........i actually did........summer before i began pharm school i worked the summer as back stock manager at a z gallerie to make a few bucks........unloaded furniture out of the back of a 140 degree semi truck in the dead of summer..........it sucked.....hahaha

regardless........do other pharmacists pull rx's from the shelves????? im walking around the pharmacy pulling drugs, putting them back to stock, walking all over the place during my shift.......we purposely do NOT have a "fast movers" shelf in front of us.......of course im standing still counting, verifying, etc.........but im on the go.........alot

even when my legs are sore, i find a step stool to sit down for a couple minutes to take a little 5 minute rest

 

[fhx06]

Working labor in a computer warehouse is pretty rough as well. I think the most labor-intensive day actually was working as the restock technician in the hospital on a Saturday with an incredible amount of IVs that needed to be restocked. Pharmacy technicians, especially those in the hospitals, are not spared the manual labor aspect of the profession, I must say.

 

[dangerdog]

Why don't pharmacists get chairs?

they do, they are called hospital pharmacist. 😀

 

[RNtoPharmD]

My head, neck ,shoulders, back, legs, and feet are all screaming after 8 to 12 hour shifts with no break. Amazing we let the profession deteriorate to this.

👍 +1 I thought I can escape from all of these pains from leaving nursing.... At least, I won't be flipping/lifting 200-300 lbs patients.
And the area in pharmacy is more limited so I will be walking less.

 

[njac]

have any of you guys ever worked a physical labor job?? pharmacists have it made in the shade. try hauling and stacking 40 lb concrete blocks for a living (what i used to do)

I worked on horse farms through 2nd year.

I agree most of these people have never done manual labor. I've had to stack 80# hay bales for 10 hours at a time in the summer, 100+ degrees.

 

[type b pharmD]

I worked on horse farms through 2nd year.

I agree most of these people have never done manual labor. I've had to stack 80# hay bales for 10 hours at a time in the summer, 100+ degrees.

now that's what im talking about. makes you feel *good* after a day like that!

 

[MindOverMatter]

 

[Bloomin Onion]

Why don't pharmacists get chairs?

In the pharmacies where I worked in, pharmacists have stools that they use sometimes.

 

[Bloomin Onion]

it's not competitive compared to retail. Mail order is enticing for all the lazy fat ass pharmacists who like sitting all day long. Pay is less than retail. The thing is in mail order, you are there to produce and they track your results and mistakes. It is way too picky and detailed than retail. Less interaction than retail. Sitting all day long, you start to develop hemmorhoids, your legs hurt, your back hurt, your hands hurt, your neck hurt, your head hurts, and your eyes strain froms staring at the monitor 8 hours a day.

I guess most jobs are liek that, like if you are a computer programmer, a banker, most white collar jobs out there you are sitting behind a computer. But again in the CVS I work at the pharmacists have chairs and stools they use. I dont' like retail though, the customers can be annoying depending on the community you work in (avoid the snotty liberal elite areas like Long island and Connecticut) and some companies seriously short staff their pharmacies.

 

[Megas]

My legs have gotten used to the long shifts, my feet have not. On the 12 hour shifts, my toes get numb! I'v started taking off my shoes and working barfeoot the last three hours until I find a shoe that works. Pharmacy jobs that switch around the sit/stand routine to relieve physical fatigue include some mail order, consulting, and IHS. Please PM for details. Good luck.

 

[Snesley Wipes]

My hips hurt after standing for prolonged periods of time. After eight hours on my feet I can barely move and hobble about like an old woman until the following morning. I am 31 years old and not overweight.

Does this kind of pain subside after working every day in a pharmacy?

Go to your Pod and get some CUSTOM orthotics. If you have a legitimate problem insurance will cover them. If not, pay the $350, write it off, and you won't regret it. Make sure you do not get the OTC ones that are universal. Have you Pod take a mold or walk on the computer tracking mat. This will not only make your feet feel good, but will align your entire body all the way up to your neck.

 

[luckyphooey]

For me, I just think I need to find better shoes.

 

[somistyles]

i alos expeince same kind of thing.huh

 

[ValeRx]

Spend a day in the Corps or the Army as a grunt, then you'll know what real leg and back pain feels like. Standing for eight hours? Try humping a 60 pound rucksack for 10-15 miles at a time. Suck it up and drive on. Its all in the boots.

 

[Sparda29]

Try doing some squats.

 

[fhx06]

That's a hot pair of boots you got there, bud.

 

[orgoishard]

.

 

[ItsOverZyvox]

I can walk all day carrying my golf bag playing golf or wade a stream fishing and it won't hurt my feet.

But put me behind a pharmacy counter standing up for an hour and it will kill my feet.

So I should wear golf shoes or wader boots if I had to work standing up!

 

[k0ni]

You get used to it after a while.

When I first started working as a tech, my legs and feet used to kill me.. After a couple of weeks, I just got used to it. No change of shoes or anything.. I did 8 hour shifts in all stars and no problems. 😛

Moving around helps, in my opinion. It's a lot harder on the body when you're standing there like a statue for extended periods of time. Keep that blood flowing.

 

[BuckPharmer2010]

it's all about the shoes.

I recommend Dansko clogs.

Seconded. Those things are ugly as hell, but make an incredible difference.

 

[PharmPrincess]

These are things that help for standing for prolonged hours:
1. Comfortable shoes (sneakers)
2. I use Dr. Scholl's gel or the pad shoe inserts
3. Nursing socks or those constriction socks...i know a lady that used these standing on heels all day and with no complaints...she recommended these to me!
4. Crocs...as ugly as they are, i heard these are comfy enough that a pharmacist i know uses them

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

My hips hurt after standing for prolonged periods of time. After eight hours on my feet I can barely move and hobble about like an old woman until the following morning. I am 31 years old and not overweight.

Does this kind of pain subside after working every day in a pharmacy?

Your feet should hurt. It's not natural to stand for eight hours at a time. Along with just eating one candy bar each shift and using the bathroom once each shift (what happens to some other pharmacists).

 

[FORTLIVINGROOM]

spend a day in the corps or the army as a grunt, then you'll know what real leg and back pain feels like. Standing for eight hours? Try humping a 60 pound rucksack for 10-15 miles at a time. suck it up and drive on. Its all in the boots.

+1


Although I prefer these : ) :

I can't believe people actually wear Crocs in a pharmacy. Not exactly professional. Get some dress shoes and put some inserts in them...bingo. Dress shoes usually have crappy soles...especially the payless specials...u throw a Dr Scholl in their like PharmPrincess mentioned and ur G2G.

I see some RPh's wearing old, dirty sneakers and their pharmacy usually mimics their appearance.

 

[Farmercyst]

I've been pleased with Wolverine's products.
http://www.wolverine.com/US/General/TechList.aspx

This is what I have. "Zeus" model. It's pretty comfy for an oxford style shoe made by a workboot company.

 

[rphfan2009]

My hips hurt after standing for prolonged periods of time. After eight hours on my feet I can barely move and hobble about like an old woman until the following morning. I am 31 years old and not overweight.

Does this kind of pain subside after working every day in a pharmacy?

Wear comfortable shoes! I cannot stress this enough 🙂

Don't worry...you will get used to standing up for 8-10 hrs at a time.

 

[rphfan2009]

they do, they are called hospital pharmacist.

lol 🙂

 

[Quiksilver]

+1

I can't believe people actually wear Crocs in a pharmacy. Not exactly professional. Get some dress shoes and put some inserts in them...bingo. Dress shoes usually have crappy soles...especially the payless specials...u throw a Dr Scholl in their like PharmPrincess mentioned and ur G2G.

I see some RPh's wearing old, dirty sneakers and their pharmacy usually mimics their appearance.

I wear sneakers every day I work. Way better then shoes. I don't think it really matters, no one sees your feet behind the counter, no one cares what you wear in a hospital - at long as it doesn't look filthy. My sneakers for work are not worn anywhere else

 

[Praziquantel86]

I don't think it really matters, no one sees your feet behind the counter

But you shouldn't be spending all your time behind the counter. Get yourself out there, make your presence known!

 

[Quiksilver]

But you shouldn't be spending all your time behind the counter. Get yourself out there, make your presence known!

with all my leet clinical PharmD skillz yo! Everyone at work wears sneakers too, and I don't think anyone takes me less seriously when they ask what they can take for heartburn and they see my kicks.

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

with all my leet clinical PharmD skillz yo! Everyone at work wears sneakers too, and I don't think anyone takes me less seriously when they ask what they can take for heartburn and they see my kicks.

To increase productivity in the pharmacy I have switched to these babies...

 

[Quiksilver]

To increase productivity in the pharmacy I have switched to these babies...

those puppies can move if you are good at them. I once saw a guy playing roller hockey on those, and damn could he ever move.

On the pharmacy side, you can revolutionize drive thrus as 1950 style pull up service; pull into an empty spot, order your drugs via speaker, and pumpkinsmasher can deliver your medications via his sweet new kicks and a pink skirt. No tips please.

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

those puppies can move if you are good at them. I once saw a guy playing roller hockey on those, and damn could he ever move.

On the pharmacy side, you can revolutionize drive thrus as 1950 style pull up service; pull into an empty spot, order your drugs via speaker, and pumpkinsmasher can deliver your medications via his sweet new kicks and a pink skirt. No tips please.

If I am sporting a pink skirt, I damn well expect tips.

 

[berrystraw]

I'm a runner, I excercise and bike a lot and I'm a mural painter-so I paint large scale murals and haul heavy stuff AND I'm a cashier. Standing for 8 hours at the co-op is painful for my feet. so suck it dude who told us to build lower body. my lower body muscles will crush you