Most employees asked these days would probably answer yes: companies invest hundreds of thousands of pounds in high quality adjustable chairs with ergonomic desks all complying to the latest legislation, so why are muscular skeletal problems still the biggest cause of sickness absence in the UK today and on the rise? 
 
The modern day workstation role has changed; often incorporating laptops, dual or multiple screens and employees frequently share a workstation with other shifts or are hotdesking. It is not unusual to have someone 5ft 3” in the chair one minute and 6ft 3” the next but no one is adjusting the workstation in between.

The traditional form of the ‘assessor and tape measure’ method is no longer adequate and we must adapt our approach.

It’s all in the muscles

The importance of sitting properly at a workstation cannot be emphasised enough, most people underestimate the damage that can be inflicted on the muscles, nerves and bones of the back, shoulder or neck by something as passive as sitting.

To achieve the lowest ergonomic risk it is vital to maintain a neutral sitting position or one as close to neutral as possible putting the least amount of strain on the joints and muscles for all work tasks. If an employee deviates from this by as little as 15% it can trigger damaging processes in the muscle.

Many conditions are caused or aggravated by incorrectly adjusted workstations, and they are referred to by a number of sometimes confusing terms.

Muscular Skeletal Disorders – (MSDs) conditions that affect both the soft tissue (muscles tendons ligaments nerves etc) and their supporting structures or bones

The term MSD is now commonly known as Upper Limb Disorders – ULDs are MSDs of the upper body; they may affect, for example, the neck, shoulder, hand and arms

Repetitive Strain Injuries – RSIs are a collection of symptoms caused by a repetitive action on the muscles, tendons, nerves or other soft tissues of the body

The terminology may change but one thing does not; the fundamental principals of anatomy and physiology remains the same. The body will react quite predictably when it is placed under certain adverse pressures or conditions.

Who’s been sitting in my chair?

Goldilocks had the right idea – this chair is too high, this chair is too low, but this one is just right! The question we should be asking is not are you sitting comfortably, but are you sitting correctly?

Common mistakes include:

• Having the chair leaning too far back in a reclining position and stretching to reach the mouse, resulting in a straight arm, putting strain on the upper torso.
• Sitting hunched too far forward, perched on the edge of the seat without any back support soon leads to slouching and creates a posture known as ‘computer hump.’

Identifying MSDs and monitoring their impact

Identifying and monitoring the levels of potential muscular skeletal problems is vital.Results from our surveys have uncovered some worrying statistics, on average 65% – 85% of desk based employees suffered with some from of ache or pain and an alarming amount of organisations reported figures as high as 100%. Out of these employees 50% -70% stated that their aches and pains were affecting their level of work.

What is a slight ache or pain today could be a serious complaint and lead to long term sickness absence within a very short time. How long before these employees are off on long term sickness absence with repetitive strain injury (RSI), back pain or headaches?

Recognise and reduce
We need to recognise the symptoms of these conditions in the workplace so we can begin to reduce them

Symptoms of MSDs in the workplace

• High sickness absence
• High levels of attrition
• Low levels of performance
• Low morale lack of motivation
• Increased risk of litigation

Symptoms of MSDs on the employee

• Aches and pains, can bee seen rubbing neck, stretching etc
• Stiffness and tightness in the upper back neck and shoulders
• Headaches
• Tiredness/fatigue
• Low levels of energy and concentration
• Low morale

With some basic training each employee canunderstand the importance of posture and have the basic skills to enable them to take personal responsibility for how they work and instinctively adjust any workstation they use.

It can also be embedded into the company culture by introducing posture workshops that can be delivered as an integrated part of staff training or induction.

Top to toe tips for workstation wellbeing

• Head – facing forward
• Eyes – check for distance and height of screen
• Chin – parallel to the floor not pointing down or up
• Shoulders elbows and hips –  all need to be vertically in line
• Back – against the back of the chair: do not perch on the edge of the seat, use the lumbar support
• Fingers – can you fit 3 fingers between the back of your knee and edge of the seat?
• Knees, hips and elbows – should be at right angles
• Legs – you should be able to extend them fully and swing them from side to side without obstruction
• Feet – flat on the floor

Donna Phillips MICHT MGPBT is Therapy Solutions founder

For more tips or a free workstation wellbeing consultation and survey contact Donna by email or call 07977 541 733 www.therapysolutions.co.uk