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December 2003

Table of contents:

1. Walking - Earth's easiest exercise
2. Treatment of cumulative trauma disorders
3. Think Safe! - Good posture, good health

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National Worker's Compensation and Disability Conference
CIS Onsite at the 12th Annual National Worker's Compensation and Disability Conference in Chicago. A now-relaxed attendee receives a complimentary chair massage. This marks the company's seventh successful year of involvement with the national convention.

Walking - Earth's easiest exercise

Walking can add years to your life and life to your years. And it couldn't be easier. You don't need to join a health club, wear special equipment or go into training to reap the rewards: The Conditioner Walking conditions your heart and lungs and raises your body's ability to use oxygen more efficiently. Fact: In one study, women who walked briskly (3-4 miles per hour) at least three hours a week cut their risk of heart attack and stroke by more than half. The Protector Walking helps beat other health problems too. It reduces your risk of some forms of cancer and osteoporosis. It fights the battle of the bulge, taking off fat and building muscle. Walking can even help people with diabetes reduce or eliminate their need for medication.

The Joint-Saver Walking can burn about as many calories per mile as jogging does. But it delivers only about a quarter of the jolt, so it's much easier on your joints and muscles.

The De-Stressor Walking is easy on your mind, too, since it lessens stress and lightens depression. Beginning walkers usually report they feel better, sleep better and that their mental outlook improves.

The Winner Best of all, walking has the lowest dropout rate of any form of exercise. So you're more likely to stick with it and get all these benefits and more - like better digestion, improved regularity and lower blood pressure.

There's Nothing To It! Just put on a sturdy, comfortable pair of shoes and go. Try some of these ideas too: Walk to the store for the Sunday paper.park a few blocks from work or get off the bus or train one stop early and walk from there.use stairs instead of elevators or escalators.on bad weather days walk in a mall or on a treadmill. How fast should you go? That's easy too. Just use the "talk test". Move at a steady pace that makes your heart beat faster and causes you to breathe more deeply but doesn't leave you too breathless to carry on a conversation. You'll do yourself a world of good.

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Treatment of Cumulative Trauma Disorders

Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs) occur among workers in many different work settings. The more a worker is required to physically perform the same work task again and again the more likely they are to develop a CTD. Human Resources Personnel, Safety/Risk Managers, and Managers deal with workers with CTDs but may not know the treatment process that their injured workers go through with physicians and therapists. This article presents an overview of the medical processes used to treat workers with CTDs.

Cumulative Trauma Disorders are extremely difficult to accurately diagnose as to the exact disease and causative factors. Diagnosis is commonly made through a detailed history that describes how the symptoms arose during certain activities. The suspected structures are provoked by palpation, stretching, or tapping to elicit pain reactions. Specific muscles and tendons can be isolated with these tests. X-Rays are not much help because they usually only show bone. CAT Scans and MRI (computer images taken throughout the body) occasionally reveal specific problems. EMG and other electrical testing can identify nerves that are not working correctly. Blood tests can rule out certain arthritic diseases.

Treatment is often a trial-and-error process. The first approach is rest. allow the over-used tissues to repair themselves. This helps most workers with CTDs, if they comply by truly resting. Splints and slings are often used to assure the best resting position and protection.

Sometimes the inflammatory process is too advanced for rest alone to help. Medications that reduce inflammation are then indicated. Some medications are injected directly into the inflamed tissue. Some medications are delivered to inflamed tissues through electrical current. These processes are not pleasant experiences but can often effectively bring symptoms under control.

Surgery is a relatively rare and extreme approach to treating a CTD. Surgery significantly reduces symptoms but often will not restore the diseased structures to normal, as surgery produces some damage of its own. Surgery is indicated as a last resort when all other methods have failed, or as a quick intervention to free nerves from being seriously damaged by compression. Quick surgical intervention should be justified by electrical testing and confirmed by a second opinion.

Occupational and physical therapists are very active in the treatment of CTDs. They seek to reduce pain and inflammation, restore strength and flexibility, and teach patients how to avoid the return of CTDs. It is this patient education that has been the key to recovery for many people.

Treatment methods include heat or ice to reduce pain and inflammation, electrical stimulation to reduce swelling and pain, ultrasound and soft tissue massage to accelerate the healing process. Restoring flexibility, strength, and posture is the primary treatment strategy used by therapists. This can only be adequately achieved through exercise. An evaluation of the workers job-site and work habits is essential in the recovery process and to prevent CTDs from recurring. The injured worker must be properly trained and motivated to put forth the effort required to recover themselves by performing the corrective exercise program designed by the therapist.

Too many health care consumers, including workers with CTDs, expect medical professionals to passively heal them and want to take a very small role in the recovery process. This is the biggest barrier to recovery. The patient must accept the responsibility of performing corrective exercises to recover and to prevent re-injury from occurring.

For more information how on-site physical/occupational therapy or an Early Intervention program can work for your company visit the Therapy or Prevention Services sections of our website or call us toll-free at (866) 298-1312.

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Think Safe! - Good posture, good health

Forward head posture...or round-shoulders posture, is a leading cause of neck-arm pain. Picture this: You are sitting or standing at your work station doing work with your hands. Posture fatigue causes your upper back to gradually round over and your shoulder to droop. Your head is now in a forward posture and this can lead to many problems.

Your head is heavy, about 10 percent of body weight. It is balanced atop the small joint of your neck. It does not take much work to hold your head upright balanced over your spine...unless you round your shoulders and slouch into a little bit of forward head posture. This increases the posture work load on your neck by about 300 percent, and can cause lots of neck and arm problems.

The nerves and blood vessels feeding your working arm pass through the thoracic outlet muscles on the side of your neck. They can be squeezed by these muscles during forward head posture, reducing the circulation and nerve function to your arm, causing arm or hand problems.

This round-shoulders posture overstretches ligaments and muscles in your upper back, weakening them, leading to upper back and shoulder problems. Forward head posture moves the shoulder joint forward, causing the collar bone and shoulder blade to press on the shoulder tendons. This can irritate shoulder muscles and tendons.

Forward head posture also causes the back of the skull to press back on the structures of the upper neck, leading to neck pain and headache. This position of the head-on-neck can also pull the jaw out of alignment, leading to neck pain and headache and a jaw condition known as TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder.

Here are some strategies to add to your arsenal against bad posture:

Be more aware
Make a conscious effort of using good posture. Bad posture - like many other habits - is a learned response. "Un-learn" it with practice, practice, practice. Remember to keep your shoulders back and ears in line with your shoulders. Also, while looking down, avoid bending at the neck and hanging your head forward. Simply tilt at the chin to see what's below.

Chin tuck stretch
This helps correct the position of forward head posture. The idea is to gently over-correct your posture to stretch the tissues that became tight with bad posture. Simply tuck your chin into your neck as you bring your head up tall, as in a position of military attention. Hold this stretch for ten seconds.

chin tuck stretch

Neck stretch
Tight neck muscles can squeeze nerves and blood vessels to your arms, leading to fatigue and pain. These muscles respond to gentle stretching. Sit upright. Place your right hand on top of your left shoulder. Hold that shoulder down as you tip your head to the right. Keep your face pointed straight ahead. Hold this stretch very gently for ten seconds. Repeat for the other side.

neck stretch

CIS Onsite is an IMPACC Program provider teaching the use of good work habits to employees around the nation. Want to learn more about how IMPACC can help your company? Visit the IMPACC section of our website or call toll-free (866) 298-1312.

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