Are You in Pain? Learn About the Art of Ergonomics


by Lyla Feldman - Date: 2008-07-25 - Word Count: 438 Share This!

There is a new word to add to our vocabulary- ergonomics.  I have never heard of this term until recently, while researching information about pain and swelling in the joints.  My mother woke up the other day unable to move her wrists.  She didn't know what it could possibly be from.  Originally, she thought it might be arthritis after checking her symptoms online, which seemed to be similar to that condition. 

 

After keeping a record of her daily activities and eating habits, she was able to pin point the cause to her occupation.  She was a part time sales associate at a women's clothing boutique.  If she was scheduled to work a few days in a row, she noticed pain and swelling in her joints on her day off.  I asked her how she stood, what kind of hand motions she did, etc.  It seemed obvious to me that the repetitive motions of folding and hanging clothes, replacing price tags, and standing caused the pain. 

 

Ergonomics is the study of how your body interacts with your environment when you perform a specific task or activity.  It involves arranging your work station equipment, lighting, tools in a way that is comfortable to you.  When it is set up properly, you are less likely to have problems such as headaches, eye strain, neck and back pain.  You can also prevent carpal tunnel syndrome which is caused by repetitive activities.  Even the noise level and temperature in your surroundings can affect your work productivity.

 

Most injuries in the office are the result of the physical stress of prolonged awkward positions, repetitive motions, or over use.  This puts strain on muscles, tendons, blood vessels, and spinal discs.  Symptoms may be fatigue - pain in hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, and back.  Working intensely over long periods of time without taking breaks can increase your risk.  Take regular breaks 3-5 minutes each about every 40 minutes and get up and stretch.  Your computer screen should be eye level less than an arms length away.  To protect eyes, use a glare guard or get a plasma computer screen. 

 

Arms should be less than arms length distance away from the screen to prevent straining and squinting the eyes.  The chair should have adjustable arm rests with a breathable padded seat.  Your feet should be flat on the floor or you can use a foot rest to relieve pressure on the lower back.  If possible, use a trackball mouse or a touchpad and wrists should always be in a neutral position.  By incorporating these rules into you daily life, you should prevent an unnecessary injury from occurring. 

 

 

 

 

 


Related Tags: energy drinks, sleep aids, natural sleep aids, natural energy drinks, benefits of stretching

Lyla Feldman writes articles about striving towards a healthy lifestyle. Some of her favorite passions include writing about energy drinks and natural sleep aids.

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: