Ergonomics:  Solution or Part of the Problem?

ergonomics--info.com

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to sit in on an Ergonomic Evaluation of my boyfriend’s home office setup.  He was required by his new employer to participate in this 30-minute online assessment of his equipment and his physical relationship to it.  They inquired about things like chair height relative to the angle created by his thighs and trunk, whether the inside of his knees touched the front of the seat or if there was space in between, and the shape of the chair back and his seated posture.  They also asked questions about the position of his computer screen related to line of sight and head angle, and the position of his arms and hands in relation to the keyboard, etc.  You get the idea.

My sense is that the employer wants to help its employees remain pain free in their work environment AND it also wants to cover its behind if the employee develops some “work related” syndrome and blames it on the work conditions and, of course, the employer.  It has become a modern cultural assumption that the chair, desk, computer, and phone, if not set up or addressed properly, are to blame for any ensuing discomfort, pain or injury to the individual using them.  The real problem is not the equipment and the way it is used, but the restriction of movement that limits the body’s use of its muscles.  The few active muscles strengthen and the inactive ones weaken, causing musculoskeletal imbalances.  Imbalance, or loss of design form, eventually causes pain and loss of function.

The only thing wrong with restricted movement is that it is restricted.  It should be augmented with a variety of motion that provides stimulus to the muscles that are not being used in the work environment.  The solution is not to restrict the restricted movement even further with Ergonomic reengineering and gadgetry.  This may bring temporary relief, but the pain will return until the underlying problem--lack of motion, and resulting dysfunctions, are addressed.

Most of the discomfort and pain that we experience while sitting at a computer, such as tightness in our shoulders and necks, pain in our wrists, even headaches and eye-strain, are actually symptoms of a improperly positioned hips.  Our spine was designed to be shaped like an “S”, but our lack of sufficient motion has tipped the pelvis backward flattening out the low back and changing the “S” into a “C”.  Because our body works as a unit, the change in the position of the pelvis then moves the shoulders and head forward to compensate.  Now, we have created a condition of “flexion” for our body from the hips on up, which means that the muscles in the low back, upper back, shoulders, and neck are under a lot of tension all day as they try to keep us from falling flat on our face.  The forward position of the shoulders affects the position of the wrists, causing them to flatten out and put strain on the Carpal Tunnel.

One of the things stressed, and rightly so, in the Ergonomics presentation, was maintaining the “S” curve of the spine.  The problem is that if the “C” curve already exists, and it is now prevalent in our sedentary society, a chair cannot fix your posture.  Posture is not voluntary.  To maintain an “S” curve requires functioning postural muscles.  The only way to acquire active, functional postural muscles is to provide them with adequate, functional motion.

In my last blog article, From Design to Dysfunction and Back Again, I pointed out the visible signs of dysfunction and compensation that demonstrate the result of inadequate motion.  The technological “advances” of the last 50 years have changed our environment forever.  At every turn some new piece of equipment removes yet another need for motion.  Our design, however, is hundreds of thousands of years old, and it requires motion to thrive.  Since our environment no longer encourages motion, getting an adequate supply of it requires a conscious decision to add functional movement to our daily routine.  The Egoscue Methodâ identifies dysfunction and provides personalized routines, or menus of “ecises” designed to reawaken the deep postural muscles in as little as 20 minutes a day.  Visit my website http://loveinmotion.me/, and send me an email to suzannelamarche@gmail.com or call me at 951 704-5965 to discuss your needs.  Return your body to its design form and experience well being you thought was gone forever.

YOUR HEALTH IS IN YOUR HANDS!

Suzanne

* Material based on  Pete Egoscue’s book, Pain Free at Your PC