Having worked with both large companies and small business, public and private, I have seen a great deal of variance in the way workplace safety is perceived and handled, even between departments. If you have worked for a large company you will, no doubt, have had to attend some kind of manual handling/no lift/equipment safety training as part of your orientation, however in many workplaces there is still little to no workplace safety policies in place and it is even frowned upon to report minor injuries.
While I agree that these training days are an important part of workplace safety and something that every working person should try to attend at least once in their life, at times I would like to have reminded workplace safety trainers to teach only what falls within their scope of practice. As an Acupuncturist and Remedial Therapist, it is within my scope of practice to provide acupuncture and massage treatments, cupping, herbal medicine and dietary advice as I have previously been taught, however chiropractic manipulations are not, it would be a serious breach of my code of conduct, registration requirements, and I'm sure a good handful of laws for me to advertise or practice such techniques. Similarly, while I expect workplace safety trainers to provide instruction on how to safely lift and move heavy objects, avoid repetitive strain injuries (RSI) and identify safety hazards in the workplace, I do not think it wise of them to offer instruction when it comes to day to day activities, such as ‘how to wash your hair using as few muscles as possible.’ A few years ago I attended such a training session and was given this exact example, with the implication that using fewer muscles in our shoulders, or perhaps reducing the range of movement in the joint, would decrease the incidence of shoulder injuries. I have seen people whose lives consist almost exclusively of only a handful of positions (most of which are seated). Their range of movement is low, they get very little exercise and use as few muscles as they can, and yet they come to me with some of the strangest injuries; I’ve treated back injuries from opening a sliding door, shoulder pain from pulling a plug out of a wall, and muscle spasm while stretching at a desk after sitting too long. On the other hand, the people I know who have an active lifestyle, who play football, climb trees or run around with their kids, seem to have relatively few issues other than a bit of muscle tension and some rather interesting bruises.
Once upon a time our shoulders were given a range of tasks, digging, climbing, chopping wood, balancing baskets on heads, up, down, forward, back. Thanks to modern technology, many of those movements have become obsolete. How many times a day to you raise your hands above your head? To wash your hair? To take something from the top shelf of your cupboard? (Not at work of course, that’s a hazard!) And so the incidence of frozen shoulders continues to skyrocket. We have forgotten our old motto; “Use it or lose it,” And we are poorer for it.
I'm not saying that you should encourage your 80yo arthritic grandparent to go rock-climbing with you, but its no secret that movement is key to a healthy body. The sun is out, so get out and move about!
The exception to this is of course the overuse or repetitive strain injury (RSI) – most commonly addressed by workplace safety trainers - which is caused by repeating the same movement again and again. To avoid RSIs, try to vary the work you do, give the overused muscles a break or try to target a different set of muscles by changing positions for a while. Using fewer muscles will only target those muscles further.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Jennifer
Once upon a time our shoulders were given a range of tasks, digging, climbing, chopping wood, balancing baskets on heads, up, down, forward, back. Thanks to modern technology, many of those movements have become obsolete. How many times a day to you raise your hands above your head? To wash your hair? To take something from the top shelf of your cupboard? (Not at work of course, that’s a hazard!) And so the incidence of frozen shoulders continues to skyrocket. We have forgotten our old motto; “Use it or lose it,” And we are poorer for it.
I'm not saying that you should encourage your 80yo arthritic grandparent to go rock-climbing with you, but its no secret that movement is key to a healthy body. The sun is out, so get out and move about!
The exception to this is of course the overuse or repetitive strain injury (RSI) – most commonly addressed by workplace safety trainers - which is caused by repeating the same movement again and again. To avoid RSIs, try to vary the work you do, give the overused muscles a break or try to target a different set of muscles by changing positions for a while. Using fewer muscles will only target those muscles further.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Jennifer