Musculoskeletal injuries

Ergonomics may prevent musculoskeletal injuries (such as back strain or carpal tunnel syndrome) by reducing physical and mental stress caused by the workstation setup. By focusing on the physical setup of your workstation and the tools you use, you can reduce your chances of injuries. It also is important to evaluate the work process, including job organization, worker rotation, task variety, demands for speed and quality, and the social aspects of work structure and supervision.
Working intensely over long periods of time without taking breaks can greatly increase your risk for musculoskeletal injuries. Taking regular breaks from your work and doing stretching exercises may reduce the risk of repetitive motion injuries. Try taking 3- to 5-minute breaks-or changing tasks-every 20 to 40 minutes.

Carpal Tunnel

“The treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in its early stages is often directed at decreasing the inflammation of the tendons. The most common treatment without the use of drugs or injections is a “cock up” night splint which keeps the wrist in a neutral position during sleep, to prevent the normal bent position which often occurs during dreaming which puts pressure on the nerve.

This helps a CTS sufferer sleep better. Symptoms often worsen at night because the position of the hand is at the same level of the heart while lying down and fluid accumulates in the soft tissues within the canal. Patients do NOT wear a splint 24 hours a day —-this is another fallacy and can cause other physical problems. We DO encourage them to change their routine in the future and rest from repetitive activities. “Other options to treat mild symptoms include the use of non-steroid anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like Ibuprofen or Advil.

“There is a small amount of medical data that suggests high doses of Vitamin B6 may be helpful, acting as a physiological diuretic to decrease the swelling of the tendon sheaths. This shouldn’t be confused with other diuretics, such as those taken by heart patients. “An injection of corticosteroids such as cortisone within the carpal tunnel itself can relieve pain quickly by reducing tendon swelling. This “frees up space” to allow more room for the median nerve in the carpal tunnel and frequently, that resolves the problem.

However, this is a limited treatment option, and I recommend no more than two injections, about 6 months apart. “For patients whose symptoms don’t respond to these conservative treatments and those with a significantly positive nerve conductive study I recommend a minor surgical procedure called endoscopic carpal tunnel release to relieve the pressure on the nerve. This is a painless and very effective treatment.

Tips to improve your workstation:

· Arrange your work so you can sit or stand comfortably in a position that does not put stress on any specific area of your body. You should be able to keep your neck in a neutral position and minimize the need to look up or to the sides continuously while you are working.
· Eliminate most movement from your waist. Keep the workstation and workstation tools within reach without having to lean, bend, or twist at the waist frequently.
· Vary postures if possible.
· Take 10- to 15-second breaks frequently throughout your task. For example, look away from your computer monitor, stand up, or stretch your arms. Short breaks reduce eyestrain and buildup of muscle tension.
· Stretch your body by getting up out of your chair and stretching your arms, shoulders, back, and legs. When you are sitting, shrug and relax your shoulders.
· Maintain good health through regular exercise, proper nutrition, not smoking, and following prescribed treatment for any other health conditions you may have. Exercise has been proven to be an effective method of preventing back and neck pain.
If you do similar work or activities at home, be sure to apply these principles there as well to eliminate any cumulative effect of repetitive motions.

What kinds of injuries occur in the office?

Most problems that occur in the office are caused by physical stress, such as prolonged awkward positions, repetitive motions, and overuse. These injuries can cause stress and strain on muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, blood vessels, or spinal discs. Symptoms include fatigue and hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, or back pain. You may also be at risk for conditions such as tendinopathy and bursitis, which are caused by overuse and repetitive motions. Ultimately, physical stress decreases your overall well-being, may cause chronic health problems, and uses up your sick time.
You may be at greater risk for workplace injuries if you have other health conditions, such as arthritis or mental or emotional stress.

Purpose of Office Ergnomics

Injury and illness are common in the workplace and costly to both you and your employer. Not only do they reduce your quality of life, but they also reduce your ability to be efficient and productive. In one study, over half of employees who used computers for at least 15 hours per week in their first week of a new job reported musculoskeletal problems.Most job-related injuries are caused by falls, repetitive movements, awkward postures, reaching, bending over, lifting heavy objects, applying pressure or force, or working with vibrating tools. Office ergonomics can help you be more comfortable at work while reducing stress and injury caused by awkward positions and repetitive tasks.
Office ergonomics focuses on your workstation arrangement-the placement of equipment such as your desk, computer monitor, chair, computer keyboard, mouse, and telephone. An ergonomic evaluation examines:
Your workstation setup, relative to your posture, length of time in a position or doing a particular task, types of movements, or repetition of movements.
Your job surroundings, including the work surface, lighting, noise level, temperature, and humidity.
Your job tools. This includes any device used to perform your job duties, such as a computer mouse or scanning machines.

What is ergonomics?

Ergonomics is the study of how your body interacts with your environment when you perform a task or activity. Ergonomics often involves arranging your environment-including equipment, tools, lighting, and how you do a task-to fit you and the activity you are doing. Office ergonomics focuses on arranging your work environment to fit your needs while you do your job.
When your workstation is set up properly, you may be less likely to have problems such as headaches or eyestrain, possibly reduce neck and back pain, and perhaps prevent conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome that can be related to repetitive activities. Whether or not your workstation is causing physical problems, a workstation that is properly set up can increase your productivity and quality of work life.

Using Computer Doesn't Increase Risk Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Study Finds

Using a computer at work doesn't increase your chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, according to a study published in the June 12 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"We wanted to do this study because conventional wisdom says that using a computer increases your risk of developing carpal tunnel, but few studies have been done to see how often carpal tunnel actually occurs in computer users," said study author and neurologist J. Clarke Stevens, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Stevens said most of the studies showing that repetitive motion causes carpal tunnel involve workers in meatpacking plants or other industrial jobs, not computer users.

This study examined 257 employees at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., who used a computer frequently in their jobs. "Many of the computer users in the study had experienced feelings of numbness or 'pins and needles' in their hands, but the percentage who actually met the medical criteria for carpal tunnel syndrome was similar to other estimates of how often carpal tunnel occurs in the general public," Stevens said.

For the study, researchers sent a questionnaire to employees who used computers for much of their jobs, such as secretaries and transcriptionists. They reported using the computer for an average of six hours per day. Of the 257 people studied, 30 percent said they had experienced pins and needles sensations or numbness in their hands.
Those people then completed a questionnaire on carpal tunnel symptoms and a diagram to show where their symptoms occurred to determine whether they met the clinical criteria for carpal tunnel syndrome. Twenty-seven people met the criteria, or 10.5 percent of the original study group.
Stevens said those who had symptoms of numbness or tingling but did not have carpal tunnel had mild symptoms that occurred briefly. Some may have had problems with another nerve in the arm, the ulnar nerve. Carpal tunnel affects the median nerve.
The researchers then tested the nerves of those who met the criteria to see if electrodiagnostic laboratory tests would confirm the diagnosis.

The nerve conduction studies confirmed the diagnosis in nine people, or 3.5 percent of the 257 study participants.
"These percentages are similar to percentages found in other studies looking at how often carpal tunnel occurs in the general population -- not just computer users," Stevens said.
The researchers also found no significant differences between the computer users who had carpal tunnel and those who did not.

"They had similar occupations, number of years using the computer and number of hours using the computer during the day," Stevens said. "So there were no differences that might point to computer use as a factor in causing carpal tunnel." Stevens said the results shouldn't be interpreted to mean that the repetitive motions involved in using a computer can never lead to problems for people.

"There are a lot of aches and pains associated with using a computer," he said. "We just found that, at least in this group, frequent computer use doesn't seem to cause carpal tunnel syndrome." Additional studies with large groups of people should be done to see if these results can be confirmed, Stevens said.