Posts Tagged ‘New Fairfield Work Ergonomic’
Welcome to Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center's New Fairfield Work Ergonomic Archive. Here you can learn more about Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center, Chiropractic, and Dr. Brandon Chorney, today's choice for Chiropractors in New Fairfield, CT. Read Dr. Brandon Chorney's Chiropractic New Fairfield Work Ergonomic for the health of it.
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jan 6, 2015 | Health Articles
We are all familiar with the adage of “walking a mile in another man’s shoes” but have we truly wanted to experience walking with another man’s spine? In this case we are referring to experiencing the physical strain on a body as we are working in our respective careers. It is no surprise to anyone that carpenters, moving men and plumbers have high rates of spine and low back injuries as they are lifting heavy loads and performing awkward tasks for long hours. But with spine injuries and dysfunction as the second leading cause of lost work in adults and the greatest cost expenditure, which careers are affecting our bodies the most these days?
Research shows that there is as much spine and low back episodes between blue as white collar workers. While this may surprise you that accountants and lawyers are as beat up as guys that haul garbage cans.
But never fear here are helpful tips and solutions for taking the pain out of your indoor desk jockey careers.
Quick Office Manual for Proper Desk Operating Procedures
- Choose a desk that is the proper height. All things on your desk should be within easy reach.
- Your feet should be touching the floor, with the legs and body forming an angle of 90 to 110 degrees.
- Keep your body straight with the head and neck upright and looking forward, not to the side. Do not hunch over or slouch.
- Adjust the height of your monitor. Look forward with your head in a neutral position. Your eyes should be at the same height as the top of the monitor. Leaning your head forward can lead to headaches and neck pain.
- When typing, keep your wrists straight, your shoulders perpendicular to the floor, and your forearms parallel to the floor.
- When reading at your desk, use a book stand or a paper holder to keep your eyes in the same neutral position you use to read documents on your computer monitor.
- When talking on the phone, use a headset, when possible, especially if you talk on the phone for prolonged periods. Holding the phone between your shoulder and cheek will only lead to neck pain and headaches.
- Stand up and stretch your legs with a short walk about every 20 to 30 minutes.
- Take micro-breaks often, stretching your neck, arms and wrists, back, and legs. Simple stretches include neck rotations, fist clenches, arm dangles, and shoulder shrugs.
- If your eyes concentrate on a particular object for long periods, relax your eye muscles by shifting your focus from objects that are close to you to objects that are farther away. This helps reduce eye strain.
- When using a mouse do not move the mouse with just your wrist. Use your entire arm and shoulder. Don’t rest your arm on the edge of the desk while manipulating the mouse. Hold the mouse loosely. Keep your wrist relaxed. Don’t hold it up or down; instead, hold it in a neutral (straight) position Move away from the mouse several times per hour and move your wrists, arms, and shoulders around.
Trouble Shooting
If you are already experiencing back pain here are four advice tips to help get your spine back into fully operational.
Tip 1: Consult our expert team.
Our expert team has been designed to help determine the cause of your back pain. After an in-depth consultation and examination we design our best recommendation for helping you reboot your health towards optimal efficiency.
Tip 2: Break the bad habits that cause spinal misalignments.
It is very common for lower back and spinal problems to start with some type of injury or trauma associated with a fall, car accident, or sports injury. But more often, Lower Back Pain results from the combination of our daily bad habits. Our work positions, seated postures, and sleep habits and surfaces can often aggravate or even cause our back problems. Learning and adopting the correct postures for sitting, sleeping, and working, many people have been able to successfully accelerate their healing process.
Tip 3: Utilize specific chiropractic adjustments as an option to correct the root cause of the lower back pain.
Chiropractic Adjustments are shown to produce the best results for patients struggling with lower back pain, sciatica and disc problems. Adjustments are most effective when they are delivered with specificity (at the right place) and in rhythm (at the right time).
Tip 4: Add specific exercises that have been proven to strengthen the muscles and soft tissues that have weakened over time with lower back issues.
As part of your active role in healing, you can strengthen the supportive structures around your spine through specific exercises. These movements target the true core elements associated with lower back pain as your muscles will tighten around joints that are injured and unstable. The basic flexibility will return naturally as your tissues heal and the nerve pressure is reduced.
Expert Service Support
Call today our expert team is here to help and assist you with all of your health solutions.
by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jul 16, 2013 | Health Articles
What is Working Smarter?
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to employee capabilities. An ergonomic assessment of the workplace critically appraises the physical work environment—followed by changes based on the assessment. Ergonomic principles are then used to make the workplace compatible with the employee, improving the employee’s safety and productivity. In other words, the easier it is to do a job, the more productive and happy the worker will be and therefore we are working smarter.
Three Important Principles Applied for Active Work
- When lifting, the largest muscles in the area should perform the task. The larger the muscle or muscle group used for lifting, the lower the stress placed on smaller, more vulnerable muscles.
- During any work activities, people should be able to comfortably assume a number of different postures and not remain in one position for an extended time. Muscles will fatigue and be more prone to injury when assuming a particular posture, especially a poor one (e.g., partially bent forward at the waist).
- When performing tasks, it is important to keep the joints either in their neutral posture or approximately halfway into the range of motion. Working with your joints at the extremes of their ranges of motion for prolonged periods places abnormal stresses on them and can cause repetitive stress injuries.
Lifting Made Simple:
When lifting from the floor, keep your back straight and lift with the legs. Do not bend over at the waist and lift with the muscles of the low back. Your body is more easily injured in this position. Keep the object being lifted close to your body. Keep your elbows flexed. Keep your head up and your neck straight as you lift.
Important Principles with Desk Work
- Choose a desk that is the proper height. All things on your desk should be within easy reach.
- Your feet should be touching the floor, with the legs and body forming an angle of 90 to 110 degrees.
- Keep your body straight with the head and neck upright and looking forward, not to the side. Do not hunch over or slouch.
- Adjust the height of your monitor. Look forward with your head in a neutral position. Your eyes should be at the same height as the top of the monitor. Leaning your head forward can lead to headaches and neck pain.
- When typing, keep your wrists straight, your shoulders perpendicular to the floor, and your forearms parallel to the floor.
- When reading at your desk, use a book stand or a paper holder to keep your eyes in the same neutral position you use to read documents on your computer monitor.
- When talking on the phone, use a headset, when possible, especially if you talk on the phone for prolonged periods. Holding the phone between your shoulder and cheek will only lead to neck pain and headaches.
- Stand up and stretch your legs with a short walk about every 20 to 30 minutes.
- Take micro-breaks often, stretching your neck, arms and wrists, back, and legs. Simple stretches include neck rotations, fist clenches, arm dangles, and shoulder shrugs.
- If your eyes concentrate on a particular object for long periods, relax your eye muscles by shifting your focus from objects that are close to you to objects that are farther away. This helps reduce eye strain.
Mousing Made Simple:
Don’t move the mouse with just your wrist. Use your entire arm and shoulder. Don’t rest your arm on the edge of the desk while manipulating the mouse. Hold the mouse loosely. Keep your wrist relaxed. Don’t hold it up or down; instead, hold it in a neutral (straight) position Move away from the mouse several times per hour and move your wrists, arms, and shoulders around.
Outcome
Following these simplesmart solutions will not only make your work easier and happier, but help more productive. To find out more on how you can have your work environment be “smarten up” contact your local chiropractor today.
by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Jun 27, 2013 | Health Articles
Help for Long Haul Drivers
Ergonomic principles are used to make a workplace suitable for the employees. Making beneficial changes improves the safety and productivity, but what about occupations with variable conditions. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, truck drivers top the list of professionals who lose the most time from work due to work-related injuries. The musculoskeletal injuries of the low back are the greatest concern. So what changes can be made to improve the conditions of long haul drivers?
Understanding the Full Occupation
The back breaking work of truck driving is not just in the long hours behind the wheel. To begin with truck drivers are exposed to continual vibration and bouncing, which can cause trauma not only to the muscles, tendons, joints, but the nerves of the entire musculoskeletal system. Add to this the loading and unloading of heavy items from the truck, and attaching and detaching the trailer and you have the prefect recipe for developing a work-related injury. Unfortunately, simply getting out of the cab can be problematic, as one of the most common causes of injuries to the upper extremities in truck drivers comes from slipping off the truck step and grabbing the handle bar to keep from falling.
Important Tips for Reducing the Chance of Injury:
- During any work activity, people should be comfortable and assume a number of different postures and not remain in one position for an extended time. Muscles will fatigue and be more prone to injury when assuming a particular posture for to long. The best posture for a driver is an upright position where the lumbar is supported in a correct and comfortable curve. The head should be back over the shoulders and in a relaxed neutral state.
- When performing tasks after prolonged sitting remember to stretch the muscles first. It will also be important to keep the joints either in their neutral posture or approximately halfway into the range of motion during the task. Working with your joints at the extremes of their ranges of motion for prolonged periods places abnormal stresses on them and can cause repetitive stress injuries.
- When lifting from the floor, keep your back straight and lift with the legs. Do not bend over at the waist and lift with the muscles of the low back. Your body is more easily injured in this position. Keep the object being lifted close to your body. Keep your elbows flexed. Keep your head up and your neck straight as you lift.
- Most importantly an assessment of your spinal health. This assessment will better enable the practitioner to begin to address any injuries that may already be affecting your health.
For Truckers, getting spinal care can mean the difference between staying comfortably on the road and being laid up in bed for days at a time with back pain and other injuries. Luckily, more chiropractors are setting up offices at truck stops across the country, which allows the 2.5 million long-haul truck drivers to get spinal treatment while they are on the road.
We are all familiar with the adage of “walking a mile in another man’s shoes” but have we truly wanted to experience walking with another man’s spine? In this case we are referring to experiencing the physical strain on a body as we are working in our respective careers. It is no surprise to anyone that carpenters, moving men and plumbers have high rates of spine and low back injuries as they are lifting heavy loads and performing awkward tasks for long hours. But with spine injuries and dysfunction as the second leading cause of lost work in adults and the greatest cost expenditure, which careers are affecting our bodies the most these days?