Ergonomically Yours

Archive for July, 2010

In the past I have written many ergonomic articles that harp on the importance of posture in the development of repetitive stress injuries (cumulative trauma disorders).

Most cases of repetitive stress syndrome involve the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. Collectively this region is referred to as the upper extremity. Depending on the type of work you do, different portions of the upper extremity can be involved in your group of symptoms.

There is no list that links the type of job that you perform with a specific set of injuries that will develop as a result of that exposure. That being said, there are some jobs that are notorious for causing specific repetitive stress syndrome type symptoms – keyboard operators and carpal tunnel syndrome and construction workers and shoulder tendonitis come to mind as typical cause and effect examples.

Almost all types of repetitive stress involve some combination of postural stress, excessive force and repetitive motion.

Jobs that require people to either assume prolonged fixed positions (computer workers) or awkward positions (auto mechanics) generate significant amounts of biomechanical stress to the joints and soft tissues of the upper extremities. Usually postural stress results from overloading of specific muscle groups, uneven weight loading of joints or by assuming positions that require static muscular contractions to limit joint motion in a specific area of the body.

Muscular force without adequate recovery time is another major contributor in the development of repetitive stress injuries. Some jobs require prolonged contraction of certain muscle groups, which reduces blood circulation resulting in fatigue. Muscles do not work efficiently under these conditions and without adequate recovery time will result in injury.

Highly repetitious movements of specific joints also contribute to repetitive stress syndrome. High frequency movements demand faster and stronger contractions of the muscles. Joints and muscles that are required to work in these conditions require more recovery time. Without adequate recovery time injury to the joints, muscle and tendons occur.

All of the factors listed above have to be taken into consideration when designing a work area and work duties. Taking frequent breaks, rotating job duties and getting much needed rest will all help in keeping you healthier and more productive through the course of your work life.

Here’s To Your Health

———————————————————————————–

Yours Ergonomically,
Steve Jones

Ergonomic Office Supplies

San Diego Chiropractor

(619) 280-0554

Why do I have back pain?

Being a chiropractor in San Diego, I hear this question all the time.  Back pain and neck pain are the two most common complaints that my patients have.  The fact that my practice is in San Diego probably decreases the frequency of these complaints.  People in San Diego tend to be more active which actually lowers the incidence of low back and neck pain.

Over fifteen years ago when I first started practicing chiropractic care in San Diego, most of my low back pain patients and neck pain patients for that matter were not related to office work.  Most of the cases that I had when I first started practicing were do to injuries like car accidents and falls or heavy work.

In the mid to late nineteen nineties, I started to see a trend in injury mechanisms among my patients.  They were starting to attribute their pain to long hours of sitting at the computer.

Sitting all day at the computer not only causes back pain but it also causes neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and various arm problems.

Lower back pain is primarily due to poor sitting posture.  When we are standing up with good posture, our lower backs have a sweeping forward bowing curve that resembles a stretched out letter “c”.  This shape distributes our bodies weight evenly throughout the spine.  When we sit, this curve reverses, greatly increasing the stress on the joints and discs in the spine.

With time, this postural stress results in irritation and inflammation resulting in pain and muscle spasms.

Once the low back has reached a point of pain and spasms, chiropractic care is necessary to relieve the pain, improve the biomechanics of the spine and relax the muscles.

In addition to chiropractic care for back pain, the patient must seek out an ergonomic chair and have it adjusted properly for their body.  In many cases, I suggest a complete workstation analysis to help prevent future problems with other computer related stresses.

———————————————————————————–

Here’s To Your Health

Yours Ergonomically,

Dr. Jones

Economic Mouse Pad
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractic

(619) 280-0554

By Dr. Steve Jones
Most new patients come to our office having no idea why they are in pain.  They have no history of slips, falls or accidents.  Some describe an injurious event that does not involve actual trauma.  They describe waking up with neck or back pain or throwing their back out while reaching for a cup of coffee or making a quick movement to stop something from falling.
The human body is very durable; we simply cannot be injured by these types of accidents.   So what gives?  We are susceptible to the cumulative effects of poor lifting habits, poor posture and a multitude of other daily stresses that we give our bodies on an ongoing basis.

Our bodies remember what we have done to them.  We can only compensate for the stress for so long before a break down occurs resulting in pain.  Often this pain is triggered by some non-injury.  It is the “final straw that breaks the camels back”.

Preventing this process is where chiropractic care excels.  Stress, irritation and inflammation of the joints and muscles in our spine accumulate silently.  Maintenance chiropractic care keeps this process in check, relieving the ongoing stress that we ask our bodies to absorb.

Monthly chiropractic treatment is analogous to the daily cleaning of your teeth.  We don’t clean our teeth because they hurt; we clean them to keep them from hurting.  Getting monthly adjustments keeps your spine healthy and mobile and helps prevent problems in the future.

Dr. Steve Jones graduated from the prestigious Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991 and has been practicing in San Diego’s Mission Valley since 1993.  He stresses the importance of health and fitness on all levels.  Dr. Jones has taken a special interest in workstation ergonomics and repetitive stress injuries.  This interest in ergonomics led to the development and patent of a mouse platform that is sold throughout the United States and Europe.   Dr. Jones can be contacted at (619) 280-0554.

———————————————————————————–

Here’s To Your Health

Yours Ergonomically,

Dr. Jones

Economic Mouse Pad
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractic

(619) 280-0554

Have you ever wondered how you can develop back pain or neck pain without doing anything strenuous. It is amazing that humans don’t sustain even more back pain and neck pain, given the structure of our bodies and the physical demands. In my California chiropractic practice, I frequently treat office workers who experience chronic and severe back and neck pain tied to easy-to-fix ergonomic issues in their workspace. In my California chiropractic business, I treat clients frequently who work in an office and could benefit from better ergonomics.
Anyone can experience back or neck pain at any time. I treat individuals regularly who experienced back and neck injuries from improper lifting, machinery usage, sports, falls, and auto accidents. The majority of patients think that chiropractic issues stem from lifting heavy sacks of concrete but are surprised to find that most are due to postural stress.

The “silent killer” of our spinal health is postural stress. Postural stress is experienced either while sitting or standing on one’s feet. Postural stress is felt whenever the natural curve of the spine is altered or if the spine moves past its natural balance point.
As you sit at a computer, hunched over the keyboard or peering at the screen, your neck experiences postural stress. This posture, in which your head and neck are extended in front of your body, reverses the normal curvature of your spine and neck, and shifts your head away from its balance point.

The stability that is part of our structure when our postural boundaries are respected is lost when we assume postures that cause stress to our spines. Stress from the way we hold ourselves (either sitting or standing) opens our ligaments and muscles up to long periods of being stretched (perhaps incorrectly) which leads to muscle fatigue, irritation, inflammation, back and neck pain, and even arthritis over the long run.
A combination of therapies may be required to effectively treat back pain and neck pain from postural stress. Using this method of chiropractic care in conjunction with stretching and nutritional support relieves pain and stiffness and restores normal, full joint movement.If you have endured pain for a long time or if your symptoms are particularly acute, the road to recovery will not be short or easy. Don’t expect a quick fix.

Chiropractic care alone will not alleviate the problem; you must eliminate or change the causes of the postural stress. Have your workstation analyzed to highlight any ergonomic issues that could cause postural stress. Applying ice packs for neck pain and back pain for around twenty minutes at a time is also sometimes effective for relief.
Talking to your chiropractor is the first step in starting your treatment.
Chiropractors are medically trained to deal with postural stress problems and the neck pain that occurs as a result. At our chiropractic clinic in San Diego, we treat patients with a holistic approach using chiropractic care and enhanced with a regimen of stretching and exercise.
In order to facilitate the healing process we encourage the proper nutritional support.
You need to be aware of the importance of eliminating the source of the postural stress in addition to seeking treatment, regardless of which approach you take to relieve the pain of postural stress.

———————————————————————————–

Here’s To Your Health

Yours Ergonomically,

Dr. Jones

Economic Mouse Pad
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractic

(619) 280-0554