Office Ergonomics- A guide to
prevent Musculo-skeletal Injuries
Dr Prabhat Lakkireddi
M.S.Ortho, MRCS (UK), FRCS Orthopaedics (UK)
Consultant- Revision Joint Replacement & Sports Injuries Surgeon
Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills
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Ergonomics
 “The science of fitting the job to the worker”
 Ergo: Work
 Nomics: Study of
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What are the benefits of ergonomics?
•Reduction of work-related injuries
•Increased worker productivity
•Increased work quality
•Reduced absenteeism
•Increased morale
YOU JUST
FEEL BETTER!
Ergonomics provides a win-win
situation…..on and off the job
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Who’s At Risk?
 Pregnant
 Nearly everyone, but
women report more
incidents of discomfort
 Obese
 Lack general physical
capabilities, such as strength
 Low motivation
 People who feel as if they lack
control over work pace,
environment, and
communication
 Poor workstation design
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Job Risk Factors
 Working in awkward postures / positions
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Prolonged sitting and standing
Bending, reaching, stretching
Driving for extended periods of time
Heavy lifting
Awkward lifting
Lifting in combination with twisting
Pushing, pulling, carrying
Accidents, slips, trips, falls
Vibration
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RESULTING INJURIES ARE
CALLED:
 Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD),
Or
 Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI),
Or
 Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD)
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What two elements
are at work?
1) Static work: musculoskeletal effort required to hold
a certain position, even a comfortable one.
Example: sit & work at computers; keeping head and
torso upright requires small or great amounts of static
work depending on the efficiency of the body positions
we chose.
Muscles fatigue faster when they are held in one position.
2) Dynamic work
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How injuries occur?
Static muscle contraction
Muscle tense
Blood flow is reduced
INJURY/ DISABILITY
Muscle nutrition is reduced
Muscle Pain & fatigue
Waste products (lactic acid) build up
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A word on repetition
 Key issue is recovery time
- the time required for tissue to restore nutrition, replace
cells, dissipate byproducts
- rest breaks
 Some newer research demonstrates that repetition
is significantly less of a problem vs. posture
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SYMPTOMS OF MSD
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Muscle fatigue or pain
Aching
Burning
Numbness
Stiffness
Tingling
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SIGNS OF MSD
 Decreased range of
motion
 Loss of function
 Deformity
 Cramping
 Loss of color
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Decreased grip strength
Loss of balance
Swelling
Redness
Adaptation vs. Injury
the fork in the road…
 Adapt
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 Injury
 Soft tissue breaks
down
 Less strength
 Less stability
 Less tolerance for use
 Discomfort increases
Soft tissue remodels
More strength
More stability
More endurance
Discomfort
decreases
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French & Zecha, 2005
MORE FREQUENTLY OCCURRING
OCCUPATIONALLY INDUCED DISORDERS:
Hand problems nerve pinch or nerve entrapment
 Triggering of fingers
Neck and back problems
 Spondylitis
 Tingling in fingers and toes
Knee problems
 Meniscal tear
 Cartilage damage
 ACL rupture
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CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME
One of the best known MSDs
The median nerve does not work properly due to pressure on the nerve
as it runs through an opening called the carpel tunnel
Numbness is usually first symptom.
Pain & tingling, can go up the arm to the
shoulder and neck, causing waking to
pain in middle of night
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GUYON’S CANAL SYNDROME
Similar to carpel tunnel
Guyon’s affects the ulnar nerve
as it passes through the Guyon
canal in the wrist; this is similar
to carpal tunnel, but involves a
different nerve.
Unlike carpel tunnel, Guyon’s
affects the little and ring fingers.
Can be in conjunction with carpal tunnel
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TRIGGER FINGER
Trigger finger affects the ability of tendons to slip
back and forth. The tendon and/or ligament
thicken and a nodule forms
This can be caused by rheumatoid arthritis,
lacerations of tendon, gripping power tools, long
hours of grasping steering wheel, or birth defects
Symptoms are pain and
a funny clicking sensation
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TENNIS ELBOW
Overuse or misuse of the forearm muscles can cause tendonitis, or a
painful inflammation of the tendons connecting these muscles to
bone.
This condition is brought
on or aggravated by poor leverage
causing an uneven distribution
of force on a few muscles.
This may be when working,
or during certain leisure activities,
such as sports and gardening.
Symptom are severe pain.
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Common Back Disorders
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General joint stiffness
Acute strains and sprains
Degenerative disk disease
Bulging disc
Herniated disc
Osteoarthritis
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Keyhole ACL reconstruction
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Keyhole Cartilage transplantation
st
1 stage cartilage harvest
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2nd stage Cartilage implantation
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Mini Knee: MIKRS
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Mini Knee
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Prevention is better than Cure
Don’t worry- we the Apollo family
will take care
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POSTURE
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Posture check: reaching & bending
it’s all connected and it’s all about physics…
 Load & leverage
 Think about posture
 Forward head
 Sitting
 Reaching
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POSTURE & ANGLES
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Posture check
Increased stress, decreased circulation…
Higher risk
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Lower risk
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BODY ANGLES
 HEAD
 SHOULDERS
 ELBOWS
 HANDS
 WAIST
 LEGS
 FEET
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SITTING POSTURES
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MORE ANGLES…
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MORE ANGLES…
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EXERCISES & STRETCHES
These are exercises or stretches that can be performed
at your workstation, home, just about anywhere.
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EYE
 Eye comfort exercises
 Blinking
 Yawning
 Focus change
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NECK STRETCH
 Tilt ear towards shoulder
 Reach up and touch top of head with palm to hold
in tilted position
 Hold 5-10 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times (come out of
stretch slowly)
 Reverse side and repeat
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Office of Horrors
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Ideal Office
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An ounce of Prevention is worth a
pound of cure !
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