ERGONOMICS AND CHIROPRACTIC AT THE WORKPLACE
Life today is not what it was 20 or 30 years ago. We are spending more and more time on computers and other electronic devices. Can you imagine a day without any of these devices? It will be harder than staying away from food.
The corporate environment is rapidly growing. As a result, our poor muscles, nerves and joints are victims of our bad posture and ergonomics. Ergonomics is the designing and arranging of the things we use, to create a comfortable and productive environment. So, conditions relating to muscles, nerves & joints seem to be on the rise. The reason for this is because these structures are overused and strained.
According to Brandt et al in a 2013 study, two thirds of employees in the industrialized countries use a computer on a daily basis and one in five interact with a computer at least 3/4 of the total work-time. A landmark study of 22,000 workers by the National Safety Council revealed the occurrence of MSDs (Muscular Skeletal Disorders) to be predominantly behaviour based, with 88{032bea22d44bdc8c307c3c683805a24b4a70cd5112fdc0eeadcba66861303c01} of the injuries associated with postural deviations and poor compliance to federal and state Occupational Safety & Health Administration safety management regulations. Poor workstation design accounted for 10{032bea22d44bdc8c307c3c683805a24b4a70cd5112fdc0eeadcba66861303c01} of the MSDs, and 2{032bea22d44bdc8c307c3c683805a24b4a70cd5112fdc0eeadcba66861303c01} were of unknown origin.
You can get more information on this study here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3610949/
Many of us are in constant pain because of poor ergonomics. We regularly take pain medication, to feel better and to improve our productivity, but we all know that taking meds is not good for in the long run. Chiropractic is the medication free solution, and it’s better than medication because it treats the cause rather than the symptoms.
Ergonomics aims to decrease the physical stresses and strains placed on the individual whilst at work, so that employees have a lesser chance of developing musculoskeletal pain. If the employee is more comfortable, they will be healthier and perform better. This leads to higher productivity in the company all around.
Office ergonomics focuses mainly on ensuring correct posture while working. As chiropractors we see a large variety of patients who present with varying degrees of neck and back pain due to incorrect or inadequate ergonomics.
We frequently note that patients who have poor posture and who spend extended periods of time at a desk, in front of a computer, tend to have the following:
- Increased muscle spasms
- Neck pains
- Headaches
- Lower back pains
- And many other complaints
Incorrect posture leads to muscular spasm because of the unnatural strain placed on specific muscle groups in the body. Muscle spasms result in:
- Decreased Mobility
- Malalignment of joints, especially in the spine
The decreased mobility coupled with the tight muscles creates a disruption in the body’s normal functioning. This causes:
- Pain
- Inflammation
- Numbness
- Tingling in severe cases
Patients who are exposed to these elements continually for long periods of time have a higher risk of developing degeneration of these muscles, and long-term or permanent joint and muscle dysfunction.
What can you do to combat this problem?
When sitting at your desk be mindful of the following:
- Make sure your feet are flat on the ground, this helps to you sit up straight.
- Use a high-back office chair, this gives your spine added support and prevents overuse.
- Sit with your back against the backrest and your elbows on your desk.
- Ensure that your computer screen is at the same level as your eyes, this prevents strain on the neck from looking up or down at your computer screen.
- Take regular breaks. Make sure you take a few seconds every 20-30 mins to stretch out your muscles while at your desk, and to adjust your posture.
As chiropractors we focus on releasing the muscular spasm by means of a variety of hands on techniques, such as:
- Dry needling
- Massage,
- electrotherapy,
- ultrasound,
- cupping,
- laser
- And many others
HOW HEAVY SHOULD YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL BAG BE?
Not only do chiropractors offer treatment and advice to adults in the workplace. We also treat scholars.
We find that there are increasing number of teenagers suffering with back pain, headaches and muscle spasm. These are due to a number of factors:
- Lack of exercise
- Increased use of technology (video games, cell phones)
- Heavy school bags
Points to consider when choosing a school bag:
- That there are adjustable shoulder straps
- Choose two straps instead of one
- Check if there is an option of padding on the back and the straps itself
- Straps should be wide
- Weight of bag is very important. Must be made of light weight material. Go for synthetic fabric instead of leather.
When the bag is packed with books, it should not weigh more than 10 to 15{032bea22d44bdc8c307c3c683805a24b4a70cd5112fdc0eeadcba66861303c01} of the scholars body weight.
SPORTING INJURIES:
Sporting injuries are very common and can be excruciating. While going to a doctor is important for fractures and breaks, chiropractic is an amazing alternative to injuries like sprains and pulled muscles. By making hands on adjustments we can get to the source of the problem, and decrease the pain more efficiently than most other treatments.
GENERAL:
We aim to restore joint mobility by using joint manipulations or adjustments, and mobilization techniques. These adjustments work remarkably well in restoring your body to its normal state. Regular chiropractic treatments can easily improve general illnesses and sometimes eliminate pain. We also provide stretching and strengthening exercises to patients as well as advice on how they can improve their posture and decrease the stress on their bodies.
We hope this shed some light on the topic of ergonomics and chiropractic at the workplace. Visit our website www.resetchiropractic.co.za for more info. You can also call us on 031 9021507 or 0315781638 or email us on info@resetchiropractic.co.za.