Workplace Health
Robert W. Fleigelman, M.D., CMRO*

WELCOME!
This is the first of the Chamber’s newsletters concerning workplace health. This is a topic that touches every business. Because the Chamber is made up of all types of businesses I will try to include useful information for small business as well as large corporations, for the private sector as well as public sector.  The articles will also have a blog section that for purposes of confidentiality will not be open to the public, but will be privately accessible on our website WWW.OMCAUSA.COM. That link will be provided. On the blog any Chamber member can post questions and any topics that interest them. Questions and answers from that will be used in the newsletter while maintaining anonymity, unless the poster wants the identification posted. There will be monthly postings or more frequently as need presents. So, with the housekeeping done let’s begin!.

Today’s topic is sitting. Yes, sitting! Something we all do and yet we do not consider it a health issue. So here is a little exercise to do. If you work in an office setting, look around at your co-workers and then yourself. Most if not all the people around you are sitting forward on their chairs. As a result, there are elevated stresses on the back and shoulders.
Now slide back on you seat so that your behind is against the back of the chair. As you relax you can feel the tightness go out of the back and neck muscles. Now if you can get that feeling in less than 2 minutes, imagine how much less fatigued you can feel at the end of the day. Now, I have had many people come to the office with back and neck pain telling me they have “bad” chairs at work, and some are, but almost 100% of them all sit forward on the chair. It doesn’t matter if they were sitting on a 29.95 chair or a 295.00 chair they would still have their back hurting. For people who are “vertically challenged” placing a small step stool under the desk to rest their feet on makes a very big difference in their comfort level while having the proper sitting position. This can avoid workers’ compensation claims because when the back is tight even lifting something light can pull the muscles.

Remember your back and neck do not know if you are at work, home, on vacation or driving, the dynamics are the same. So make sure that you have support for the low back when you are relaxing at home or driving your car. If necessary a small throw pillow placed into the curve of the low back works wonders.

I look forward to your comments about this article and any ideas you have on this or future topics.

* Dr. Fleigelman is the Medical Director of the Memorial Healthcare System Worker’s Compensation Program. He is Chief of the Department Of Family Practice at Memorial Regional Hospital and he is the Medical Director of Occupational Medicine Centers of America.