Preventing injuries at work - Move around!

When someone talks to you about preventing injuries at work some of the messages you might hear include:

"Bend your knees"
“Sit up straight”
“Use 90-90 (degree) positions”
“Lift with your legs"

The truth is, we are not like the 3-6 joint stick figures above, we have hundreds of joints in our bodies that allow for movement through a plethora of various angles; angles that you should strive to use. What you need to understand, is that these postures are considered best if you are required to maintain prolonged postures, performing repetitive work, or lift heavy objects.  However, none of these situations are ideal. Ideally, you wouldn’t be stuck in a static position or doing anything repetitive.

So, if you’re an accountant stuck at your desk for long hours during tax season, position B is your optimal resting spot, but you ARE allowed to use other positions. It’s okay to tuck your feet under the chair, kick’em out, cross your legs, slump for a bit, sit up like a soldier, reach overhead, stand up, walk…do you get the point?

MOVE! If you stand on a line at a machine in a factory (position A), bend your knees, scrunch your toes, rise up onto your toes, rise up onto your heels, if you're always rotating right, rotate left, let your head bobble on your shoulders.  If you reach forward all day, reach back…do you get the point?

MOVE OPPOSITE OF YOUR WORK PATTERNS! (out of the repetition)!