Caring For Your Back At Work

Posted on November 7, 2008
Filed Under Disease |

Injuries that may occur
Vertebral fractures
Are typical of construction workers and miners from falls or by giving off heavy on the patient. The usual mechanism is a forward bending of the body compresses the (s) vertebra (s) to deform more crushing front behind which is the typical fracture “wedging” of the vast majority of these injuries.

Lord of the back doliéndose
Awkward postures or maintained provoke a reaction of the muscles and therefore a muscle contracture.

The greater the deformity in the bone there is increased risk that compresses the spinal cord, so severe crushing must operate. The surgery involves merging the most damage to the neighboring vertebrae, adding a metallic material that supports the internal assembly.

Milder cases are treated with a brace for months of rehabilitation followed.
Contractures vertebral
The vertebrae are arranged in a chain. The position of each link or vertebra on the other depends on the ligaments and muscles.

Awkward postures or maintained provoke a reaction of the muscles, which are kept in continual contraction. Lack of pain caused by muscle relaxation. It is called “muscle contraction”, which means the vast majority of back pain.

Also, any traumatic injury to the back, either fracture or sprain, will cause this type of muscular response.

Vertebral sprains
Typical drivers, is in shock and sudden stops, causing a swinging movement of the head, distended (and sometimes break) the ligaments connecting the vertebrae.

This case is almost unique to the cervical spine due to the particular anatomy of this area.

The treatment of severe cases is surgery, because of the risk of spinal cord injury. Mild and moderate cases, which are the vast majority, are treated with cervical collar for several days followed by a period of rehabilitation.

Prevention
Postural hygiene concept
Postural hygiene is a set of physical activity that must be met to prevent an injury, in this case back.

These rules apply to the correct and incorrect to make an effort and depend on each specific job, but in the case of the back can be divided into two groups: those that must be continually seated workers (clerks and drivers) and those that affect workers much effort (construction, miners, farmers).

Seated workers
The position of the chair should allow your back is straight and the hip flexed approximately 90 degrees, so that your thighs are horizontal to the ground and also the forearms should be horizontal also.

The shape of the seat should allow the lower back is slightly arched, to maintain the physiological curve of the back.

The gaze should be directed forward or slightly down, so do not put the computer monitors at the table too low or too at the sides, so that the neck does not turn.

Every so often it should stop and take a few minutes of stretching exercises muscle. Each person has their own day but it is advisable to stop every hour or hour and a half.

The movements are gentle stretching, slow and progressive in its execution, trying to achieve maximum mobility, but without it being noticed pain. It is normal to “creak” when making the intervertebral joints.

Some exercises are recommended for neck movements of the head in gentle circles, forwards and backwards and sideways, while keeping your shoulders high (the “shrug” Trapezius muscle relaxes, the source of much of the neck contractures).

Another type of exercises are performed standing, for example by supporting each hand on a corner of the wall and letting the body lean forward while your elbows are flexed and face tends to play against the wall. Also on the back foot and well built, will cross your arms with your elbows bent and try to direct them as much as possible back.

The exercises recommended for lumbar and dorsal practice are usually lying face up in a relatively hard surface. Some of them are:

* With a starting position with arms crossed over his chest and knees slightly bent, raise the buttocks every effort;

* In another exercise we start from a kneeling position and stretched hands on the neck with fingers interlaced and elbows raised gradually unlock without fingers.

Workers of great efforts

If working at height should wear the harness to prevent falls. They must also wear a helmet if there is danger of falls (rocks, bricks, wood, etc.)…

If you are going to work and lifting weights is inclined to use a strong lumbar belt and when you lift the back stretch and try to keep your knees slightly bent so that effort is transferred from the back of the thighs

Advantages of swimming
Healing is the exercise par excellence. The thrust of the water reduces body weight and posture is horizontal, which suffers less vertebral chain. The movements are harmonics without affecting impacts vertebral joints and continuity of effort developing the spinal muscles while relaxing the.

Treatment of established contracture
In the early days is to use a brace, ie a ring that hold the painful area, discharge of effort. On the collar are a collar and a back injury in the strip. There are also specific to brace the back area, but generally tolerated worse.

The collars on the neck to use the shortest possible time, which is often measured in days, to avoid excessive muscle atrophy.

Should apply local heat, either by running the shower, electric blanket, etc…

Myorelaxants medication (muscle relaxants) may be useful as analgesics.

In chronic contractures may be useful to a specific course of physiotherapy.

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