Strain & Sprain Injury Prevention
Strains/Sprains – Soft Tissue Injury Prevention.
• What is a strain?
– The stretching or tearing of muscle fibers
– Caused by overuse, sudden movement
• What is a sprain?
– The stretching or tearing to a ligament
– Caused by sudden twisting, falling or getting struck by something
• These types of injuries can result from normal work activities.
• They maybe sudden or repetitive.
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What are the Risk Factors – Strains & Sprains
• Awkward postures
– Overhead work
– Kneeling, bending to a lower level
• Extreme forces
– Lifting and carrying
– Pushing and pulling
• Mechanical stress
– Kneeling on hard surfaces
• Vibration over prolonged periods of time
• Temperature extremes
• Repetitive motions
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Things to Consider When Trying to Prevent – Strains & Sprains
• Sitting vs. Standing
– Your head should be upright, not turned to either side more than 30
degrees and not tilted forward or backward
– Your shoulders should be facing forward, and avoid twisting the body
• Work surface height
– Should be in the power zone
• Reaching
– Avoid reaching behind the body, bending forward or off to the side
• Lighting
– Adequate
• Sharp edges
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Things to Consider…………….continued
• Right equipment and tools for the job task
• Hard surfaces
• PPE
• Lifting limits – two person lift
• Pushing vs. pulling
– Pushing is preferable to pulling; pushing allows you to use the large
muscle groups and apply more force to the load
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Daily Plan
• Evaluate the daily work tasks
– Who does what and for how long
– Postures
– Repetition
• Modify where you can to eliminate the risk factors
– Can mechanical substitutions be made
– Breaks
– Job task rotation
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Minimizing the Possibility of Incurring Strains & Sprains
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Proper Lifting Techniques
• Materials which must be manually lifted should be placed in the power zone
– The power zone for lifting is close to the body, between mid-thigh and
mid-chest height. This is where the arms and back can lift the most with
the least amount of effort.
• Maintain a neutral and straight back alignment
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Proper Lifting Techniques………………..continued
• Usually bend at the knees, not the waist
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Proper Lifting Techniques: The Four P’s
• Plan your lift:
– Know where you are going with the load and make sure the path is
clear.
– Position yourself to avoid twisting.
– Get HELP, if necessary.
• Prepare for the lift:
– Position your feet to get close to the load and face the load squarely.
– Grasp the load firmly and with two hands.
– Bend your knees, and lift the load.
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Proper Lifting Techniques: The Four P’s………………..continued
• Place the object close to you:
– Keep your back straight.
– Use smooth, continuous and deliberate motions.
– Do not jerk the load.
• Pivot, don’t twist:
– Keep your feet flat on the floor for stability.
– Turn by shifting your weight and moving your feet to avoid twisting.
– Note: Twisting while lifting is the number one cause of injury to the
lower back.
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Pivot, don’t Twist
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The Four P’s
• Plan your lift
• Prepare for the lift
• Place the object close to you
• Pivot, don’t twist
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What Else Can We Do? Strain & Sprain Prevention
• Stretch & Flex
– Stretching at the start of each shift
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Athletes Stretch Before Each Performance
• Stephen Curry – NBA MVP
• Serena Williams – Tennis star
• Usain Bolt – World’s fastest man
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What are the Benefits of Stretching?
• Helps maintain your range of motion
• Maintains flexibility
• Improves your circulation
• Prepares your body for work
• Increases the longevity of muscles and joints
• Supports a safe work environment
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How does the Stretch & Flex Program work?
• Leader’s guides contain stretching routines (one routine per week)
• Each stretching routine contains a brief warm-up and 6 stretches
• Stretching should take place before work begins in the morning
• Stretching sessions are best when led by designated, “stretching leaders”
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Stretching – How can we make the most of this time?
• While stretching in the field, employees can also participate in: Tail
gate/safety talks
• Pre-planning
• Employee observations
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Stretching Essentials
• Warm up first
– Walk in place while gently moving your arms
• Slow and smooth
– Don’t bounce
• Hold each stretch
– Minimum of 15-30 seconds
• Relax and breathe freely
• Pain-free stretching
– Expect to feel tension, it shouldn’t hurt
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Let’s practice!
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Walking Warm Up
• Before stretching begins
– Walking in place for 1 minute
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Small Arm Circles
• This help increase range of motion in the shoulder joint
• Stretches the shoulders
1. Stand with feet placed shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and
abdominal muscles contracted
2. Extend arms out to the sides parallel to the ground at shoulder level
3. Keep your shoulders relaxed
4. Slowly rotate the arms forwards from the shoulder joint, making small
circles
5. Repeat 30 times, and reverse direction
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Hand Stretch
• This stretches the forearms, wrists, hands, and fingers
1. Stand with feet placed shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and
abdominal muscles contracted.
2. Extend arms out in front of the body, arms parallel to the floor.
3. Make a fist, wrapping your thumb across your fingers. Hold for 3-5
seconds.
4. Release and spread your fingers wide. Hold for 3 – 5 seconds.
5. Repeat with both hands 6 - 10 times.
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3-Point Back Stretch
• Stretches the lower back, abdominals and waist
1. Stand with feet placed shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and
abdominal muscles contracted.
2. Place hands on hips for stability.
3. Lean to one side, don’t exceed 45 degrees, hold, return to center.
4. Lean forward, don’t exceed 30 degrees, hold, return to center.
5. Lean to the other side, don’t exceed 45 degrees, hold, return to center.
6. Hold each stretch a minimum of 10-20 seconds.
7. Perform 1-2 times.
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3-Point Neck Stretch
• Stretches the neck and upper back.
1. Stand with back straight, and feet placed shoulder-width apart.
2. Slowly lower one ear to the shoulder on the same side and hold.
3. Return head to center.
4. Slowly lower chin to chest and hold.
5. Return to center.
6. Slowly lower opposite ear to the shoulder and hold.
7. Hold each stretch a minimum of 10-20 seconds.
8. Perform 1-2 times.
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Standing Knee Lift
• Stretches lower back, and back of thighs.
1. Stand with feet together, knees slightly bent and abdominal muscles
contracted.
2. Lift on knee, placing clasped ands under lifted knee. Use on hand to
hold onto support if necessary.
3. Keep back straight.
4. Hold each stretch a minimum of 15-30 seconds.
5. Perform 1-2 times on each leg.
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Standing Quad Stretch
• Stretches the front of the thighs.
1. Stand upright with your feet together.
2. Raise the heel of one leg up behind you and pull that leg up towards your
butt with your hand.
3. Keep pulling your leg up until you feel it stretching your quad, but not to
the point of pain.
4. Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds.
5. Perform 1-2 stretches on each leg.
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This document is not intended to be taken as advice regarding any individual situation and should not be relied upon as such. Marsh & McLennan Insurance Agency LLC shall have no obligation to update
this publication and shall have no liability to you or any other party arising out of this publication or any matter contained herein. Any statements concerning actuarial, tax, accounting or legal matters are
based solely on our experience as consultants and are not to be relied upon as actuarial, accounting, tax or legal advice, for which you should consult your own professional advisors. Any modeling
analytics or projections are subject to inherent uncertainty and the analysis could be materially affective if any underlying assumptions, conditions, information or factors are inaccurate or incomplete or
should change. CA Insurance LIC 0H18131
Legal/regional regulatory statement to be added here if required.
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