So what can happen when the needs of the human body are not addressed when performing daily tasks? The question that you must first consider is ‘what is comfortable?’
This may seem like a straight forward concept, but when you think of the variety of positions that you assume throughout the course of a day, the answer may not seem as obvious as first thought. At rest our bodies naturally seek to find the most ‘neutral’ position they can find. This is a position in which the body expends the least amount of muscular effort in supporting itself. For example sitting in our favourite armchair or standing with weight shifted onto one leg while we rest the other one. So, notions of comfort are not necessarily tied to fabric and upholstery.
We are dynamic beings, so changing position not only helps to rest muscle groups, the flexing of muscles and joints helps to circulate the blood through the body, drawing nutrients into cells and expelling toxins. The key thing is that we can change position whenever we feel like it, resting various tired muscle groups whilst bringing others into play.
This picture changes somewhat when we have a specific job to do. At work, our postures are dictated by the task rather than our body’s natural tendency to seek a neutral position, as a result, as bodily fatigue increases, the task limits what we can do to rest these tired muscle groups.
Technology is now an integral part of the office landscape – computers, mobile communications, internal and external networking and wireless working environments. We can work anywhere at any time, however, these benefits of flexibility and productivity have come at a cost.
The professional office worker spends approximately 70% of their time sat at their desk, usually for 45 minute periods at a time. Deskbound workers such as call centre employees can spend in excess of 90 % of their time sat at their desk.
The effects of these working environments are twofold – psychological and physiological. Over the next few sections we will explore the various aspects of reducing the physiological challenges imposed by technology in the workplace.
The main health problems associated with technology in the workplace and in particular DSE work are a range of disorders known as Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD’s). They are sometimes referred to by a number of other names: Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI’s) or Upper Limb Disorders (ULD’s) .
Some examples of MSD’s you may have heard of are Tendonitis, Tenosynovitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. They are all injuries to the joints, tendons, nerves, muscles and soft tissues of the body and are caused by repetitive use over an extended period of time. The majority of these MSD’s are concentrated in the upper body – the neck, shoulders, upper limbs and hands, in particular, injuries to the neck and shoulders and becoming more common.
Lower back pain is also strictly speaking an MSD, but can often be caused by a number of different factors, many of which are outside of the workplace. It is a wide spread problem with approximately 80% of the population in the UK suffering from some form of lower back pain at some point in their working lives.
Eye stain and visual fatigue is also another common problem associated with DSE work.
Common examples of hand and wrist MSD’s:
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Swelling of the carpal tunnel inside the wrist, placing pressure on the median nerve and tendons.
Raynaud’s Phenomenon: Increased sensitivity of the hand to cold.
Trigger Finger: Catching and pain that occurs with movement of the finger.
Common examples of arm and shoulder MSD’s:
Rotator Cuff Syndrome: Tendonitis of the rotator cuff inside the shoulder.
Epicondylitis: Tendonitis of the elbow
Lower back and neck MSD’s:
Herniated spinal disc: Protrusion of the spinal disc, potentially placing pressure on a nerve.
Sciatica: Pressure on the sciatic nerve in the lower back and buttocks area that results in pain running down the leg.
Tension Neck Syndrome: Tightening of the muscles in the neck, causing pain.
The typical causes of work related MSD’s are:
Awkward postures – The body will naturally seek neutral postures which exert minimum strain and effort on muscles and joints. When we perform any task we often need to force the body into non-neutral postures. The more extreme the nature of these postures, the more damaging they might be.
- Bending your wrists
- Holding your elbows away from your body
- Stretching your arms out
- Sitting or standing with your back rounded or shoulder slumped forward
- Making long reaches for documents or materials
Even in fairly neutral postures, it is not good to maintain a static position for too long. Over a period of time they can lead to fatigue and a drop in productivity. We are dynamic beings. Changing position permits us to rest certain muscle groups whilst bringing other into action. In addition, the flexing of our muscles and joints helps circulate blood through the body, draws nutrients into cells and helps to expel toxins.
Localised pressures – e.g. arms writs on edge of desk – can limit blood circulation, trap nerves, etc.
Use of excessive force or strength – e.g. hammering at keyboard can cause local soft tissue damage.
- Holding a pen too tightly
- Moving equipment or supplies
- Striking keys harder than necessary when typing or data entry
- Clicking a mouse harder than necessary
Repetitive activity -This is not automatically a bad thing in itself. However, if any of the above mentioned problematic factors are present, then repetition will rapidly multiply the effects.
- Data entry, typing and using the mouse
- Sorting
- Filing
In addition, certain individuals may have a predisposition to certain disorders, either due to physical characteristics, or due to activities outside of the workplace. This must be borne in mind when assessing workplace health problems of any individual.
The affects of MSD’s can be reduced still further if you are mindful your body and its movements. For example, if you spend good part of our work day at a computer, pay attention to how you position your arms and wrists. To reduce muscle strain on your upper body, keep your elbows close to your body, your shoulders down and relaxed and as much as possible; work with your forearms, wrists and hands in a relaxed and neutral position.
Also thinks about your posture. When you sit or stand, try to maintain the neutral inward curve of your lower back. Keeping your lower back in this position helps align your neck, head and shoulders and also reduces the stress to your lower back. In addition aligning your head over your shoulders reduces the strain on your neck and improves the blood flow to the upper body.
Finally, be sure to give your body a rest by taking regular short or micro breaks throughout the working day. This can be as simple as taking a break from one task and performing another e.g. switching from typing to making a phone call or adopting a sit down stand up work routine. If the work is nearly all computer based, then every 15-20 minutes, look away from the screen and focus on something further away for at least 20 seconds – and remember to blink! When focusing on screens or reading etc. the rate of blinking falls considerably and this can lead to dry and tired eyes.
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