Showing posts with label workplace safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workplace safety. Show all posts
Monday, April 8, 2013
Ergonomics Rap with Sustainable John - Lawrence Berkeley Lab
Click on the title to view this video about workplace ergonomics! Good reminders for those of you who sit at a desk all day.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
How to avoid BACK PAIN with reaching/bending
My patients with back pain typically fall into two categories: trauma vs non-trauma. Traumatic injuries can come from a major accident or an easy task done incorrectly (bending down to pick up shoes from the floor and then patient is unable to stand back up). Non-traumatic back pain frequently comes from repetitive poor postures and bad bending/reaching habits.
Based on my posts "How many times per day do you reach to the floor," the number is likely more than 30 times and may be even higher than 50 for those of you with small children. So how can you modify these RTF's (reach-to-floors) so as to decrease your risk for back pain, back spasm, back strain or worse?
First, check your back position each time you reach down to the ground or a low surface. You can squat (with your back straight) or use the golfer's grab (kick 1 leg back behind you). You can sit on a stool or chair. You can kneel. You can get on your hands and knees. You can sit on the floor. Be creative; there are many ways to reach down without straining your back. It simply takes the effort to think twice before you bend.
Next, modify where you place the objects that you use the most to be at an easy-to-reach height. For example, store your dish soap in a decorative container on the counter instead of under the sink. What objects do you have in your lower cabinets, cupboards, drawers and shelves? They should be the ones you use rarely. Anything you use multiple times/day should be easily accessible with minimal reaching required. This is especially true for those of you with back problems (which limit your ability to bend) and knee problems (which limit your ability to squat).
Finally, always give yourself the mechanical advantage. Use your big muscles to do the work they were made for (thigh, buttocks muscles). They are easily able to do the work of lifting so your back does not have to.
Based on my posts "How many times per day do you reach to the floor," the number is likely more than 30 times and may be even higher than 50 for those of you with small children. So how can you modify these RTF's (reach-to-floors) so as to decrease your risk for back pain, back spasm, back strain or worse?
First, check your back position each time you reach down to the ground or a low surface. You can squat (with your back straight) or use the golfer's grab (kick 1 leg back behind you). You can sit on a stool or chair. You can kneel. You can get on your hands and knees. You can sit on the floor. Be creative; there are many ways to reach down without straining your back. It simply takes the effort to think twice before you bend.
Next, modify where you place the objects that you use the most to be at an easy-to-reach height. For example, store your dish soap in a decorative container on the counter instead of under the sink. What objects do you have in your lower cabinets, cupboards, drawers and shelves? They should be the ones you use rarely. Anything you use multiple times/day should be easily accessible with minimal reaching required. This is especially true for those of you with back problems (which limit your ability to bend) and knee problems (which limit your ability to squat).
Finally, always give yourself the mechanical advantage. Use your big muscles to do the work they were made for (thigh, buttocks muscles). They are easily able to do the work of lifting so your back does not have to.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
How many times per day do you reach to the floor? Part 2
15. Reach into bottom drawer of the refrigerator for an apple.
To be continued.
16. Reach down into lower kitchen cabinet for a tupperware to take leftovers to work.
17. Pick up your keys, which you dropped on the floor.
18. Throw your bags into the trunk of your car or your back seat.
19. Reach down to the floor of your car for the water bottle that fell.
20. Pick up your bag/briefcase out of the trunk or back seat.
21. Pick up the quarter you found on the sidewalk.
22. Place your bag/briefcase down on the floor while you take off your coat.
23. Pick up the paper from your desk that blew off.
24. Get a book out of the bottom drawer/shelf.
25. Reach down to get the water bottle you just bought from the vending machine.
26. Plug in the cord from your laptop into the outlet.
27. At lunch, pick up the napkin that fell off your table.
28. Tie your shoelaces.
RTF's (reach-to-floors) continue increasing, and it's only 2 pm!
To be continued.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Top 7 reasons why sitting causes back pain
1. Most people sit with slouched posture, which puts your low back in a rounded or flexed position for hours each day. Our backs were not made to stay in one position all the time. This can cause future problems in the spine such as arthrits, herniated disks, and sciatica.
2. People who sit at work typically sit for too long without changing positions. If your job involves sitting all day, standing up, stretching or walking around briefly every 30-60 minutes will help.
3. Very few people sit with lumbar support, which helps to align the low back. Good posture starts with the pelvis. Tilt your pelvis forward so that less of your buttocks are supported on the chair. That way the bottom of your pelvis is supporting your trunk and you increase the arch in your low back. Once you have that position, use a lumbar roll/pillow to maintain it.
4. A slumped low back leads to a rounded mid back with shoulders rounded forward and the neck to be excessively forward. This can lead to progressive neck problems and even shoulder pain (especially with lifting overhead).
5. Aside from sitting at work, we tend to have a sedentary lifestyle, with many leisure activities done also in the sitting position. With present technology, we can do almost everything from the convenience of our homes. While it is convenient to buy clothes and even stamps at home, it is taking a toll on our backs. Having a sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity, which carries multiple health risks.
6. We do very few activities with our spines extended backward, which is an important position to achieve regularly for optimal back health. If you do not regularly lean backward (increasing the arch in your low back), then start doing so several times daily. It can be done sitting or standing. Another way to arch backward is to lie on your tummy and prop up on your forearms.
7. Slumped sitting posture puts the back muscles (and other back tissues) in a lengthened or stretched position while also causing the muscles and tissues on the front of the hip, abdomen and chest to be in a shortened position. This imbalance can cause further posture problems, weakness and instability with greater risk for back pain and injury.
2. People who sit at work typically sit for too long without changing positions. If your job involves sitting all day, standing up, stretching or walking around briefly every 30-60 minutes will help.
3. Very few people sit with lumbar support, which helps to align the low back. Good posture starts with the pelvis. Tilt your pelvis forward so that less of your buttocks are supported on the chair. That way the bottom of your pelvis is supporting your trunk and you increase the arch in your low back. Once you have that position, use a lumbar roll/pillow to maintain it.
4. A slumped low back leads to a rounded mid back with shoulders rounded forward and the neck to be excessively forward. This can lead to progressive neck problems and even shoulder pain (especially with lifting overhead).
5. Aside from sitting at work, we tend to have a sedentary lifestyle, with many leisure activities done also in the sitting position. With present technology, we can do almost everything from the convenience of our homes. While it is convenient to buy clothes and even stamps at home, it is taking a toll on our backs. Having a sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity, which carries multiple health risks.
6. We do very few activities with our spines extended backward, which is an important position to achieve regularly for optimal back health. If you do not regularly lean backward (increasing the arch in your low back), then start doing so several times daily. It can be done sitting or standing. Another way to arch backward is to lie on your tummy and prop up on your forearms.
7. Slumped sitting posture puts the back muscles (and other back tissues) in a lengthened or stretched position while also causing the muscles and tissues on the front of the hip, abdomen and chest to be in a shortened position. This imbalance can cause further posture problems, weakness and instability with greater risk for back pain and injury.
Friday, January 20, 2012
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