Take-A-Stand Project Summary

Resting is an everyday necessity in our life. Many of us live and work in the hustle and bustle of major cities - and if we don’t reside there we commute there on a regular basis. Americans have the most hectic schedules in the world, yet so often we ignore our bodies

Adjustable workstations are increasingly becoming a main benefit for organizations using them. When using computers at the workplace, employees typically sit down for longer periods without adjustable designed workstations. Such situations can lead to regular back injuries, stress injuries and other forms of injuries. All these injuries result in lost work time and reduced productivity. Using adjustable workstations reduces employee fatigue, makes them comfortable and helps them avoid standing or sitting in awkward postures. Adjustable designed workstations lowers the rate of suffering from tunnel syndrome injuries, which improves both employer and employee morale. This is characterized by improved productivity, reduction in employee absenteeism and minimal workplace complaints (Washington (State), 2009).

Back pain is one of the most commonly reported health problems among working adults. One of the primary reasons

Organizations have the responsibility to provide a safe work environment for their employees. Lift equipment is expensive; however the return on investment is profound (ANA, 2013). In my previous organization, we spent two million dollars on a SPHM program, at three years had a full return on investment, and by year seven saved six million dollars (OSHA, 2013). According to Nelson (2008), it takes less time and less wear and tear on the body to use SPHM equipment than to gather a team of people to lift a patient. Physically fit health care providers are four times more likely to be injured due to repeated requests for lift help (Nelson, 2008). Educating health care workers in ergonomics for the past twenty years

Brody's editorial, "Posture Affects Standing, and Not Just the Physical Kind" she introduces how her husband worked at an office slouching over all day and how people would tell him how bad that was for his health but he didn’t care, tends to show that people who’ve slouched and have gotten used to it, they end up not caring about how they’re turning out to be. Coming to the topic of technology ruining our posture this shows that since these people have to work sometimes in a small working space they have to do the worst to be comfortable and sometimes this involves slouching to get a better view of the computer. Concluding that most of these office workers have very rude moods or are always stressed when it comes to helping customers/clients because they’re slowing creating back problems or stress due to their constant

In Sumathi Reddy’s article “The Price We Pay for Sitting Too Much”, Reddy briefly examines the harms of sedentary behaviour. She suggests that in order to avoid them, one must do no more then increase the time they spend standing throughout the day. The article is aimed at working adults and suggest multiple schedules for increasing time on your feet and consequently, reducing sedentary behaviour. Some of the routines suggested are unrealistic for a busy person, such as the one preposed by Dr. Allan Hedge and Nasa. Hedge suggests that every thirty minutes, one should spend 20 minutes seated, 8 minutes standing and 2 minutes walking or stretching. Nasa’s recommended routine is simpler, but still slightly impractical. They suggest that one should

Back injuries cause great impact to people and their employers. As HR Magazine author Nancy Hatch Woodward points out, “back pain remains one of the most common complaints in the workplace today and it can be devastating” (57). The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2005 that more than 270,000 cases of back injuries and illnesses were reported in the workplace, with those affected taking an average of seven days off of work (Woodward 58).

Chronic lower back pain is on the rise in not only America, but is on the rise in the world. According to a study by the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases in 2010, approximately one in ten people suffer from lower back pain, which makes lower back pain the leading cause of disability in the world (http://ard.bmj.com/content/early/2014/02/14/annrheumdis-2013-204428). This rate is on the rise and should be extremely alarming as common activities, including working a desk job, can contribute to chronic lower back pain. While there are many different methods to treat chronic lower back pain, including physical therapy, therapeutic

-Sit-to-stand activity: using balance bar and shapes to increase attention span, concentration, and eye-hand coordination.

3. Ergonomics. This scientific discovery is valid. By applying the knowledge involving changing your workspace around to reduce awkward positions, the slumps in you shoulders and neck are reduced. Don't forget to invest in a logical work chair that is designed to support your back while keeping your feet flat onto the deck.

36 percent of nurses and support staff suffer from back pain and problems due to manual (no use of assistive devices) patient handling in the workplace (Singh, 2014). Data analysis of Singh’s (2014) experimental design revealed that back pain is a major contributor of musculoskeletal disorders. 13% of nursing and support staff study participants were over 40 years of age. 40.48% reported they often experienced back pain, while 42.38% reported that they sometimes experience back pain from patient handling task. The data analysis reveals the work of nurses and support staff

Although it is recognized that an intricate relationship between the worker and workplace stressors results in neck pain, a synthesis of preventive factors or workplace interventions has not been identified to reduce this incidence (Gross AR, Kaplan F, Huang S, et al. Psychological Care, Patient Education, Orthotics, Ergonomics and Prevention Strategies for Neck Pain: An Systematic Overview Update as Part of the ICON Project. Open Orthop J. 2013;7:530-61. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24133554

The increase of sedentary leisure and work related activities has also brought the rise of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and now account for 31% of non-fatal work related injuries making them the most common (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). Therefore, it is highly advantageous to employers to suggest ways of reducing symptoms to theoretically reduce costs associated with MSDs in the workplace (sick leave, medical costs, etc.). Work related MSDs are caused by complex combination of factors that can extend from beyond the workplace and cause pain and discomfort of muscles, tendons, joints, and nerves (Rodrick, Karwowski, & Marras, 2012). As a result, finding a single root cause of a MSD is nearly impossible. Due to the difficulty in

Postural exercises may help patients to be more aware of their posture and make self-corrections to avoid future injury throughout the workday. In the systematic review by Drescher (Reference 22), the study compared a group receiving postural exercises to a control group who were not receiving postural exercises. It was found that the group that completed postural exercises demonstrated decreased pain and increased cervical ROM. Another high quality study (references 17-19) within this review compared an intervention group receiving postural exercises to the control group. The postural exercise group showed significant reduction in pain at both the 6 month and 3 year follow up, as well as a lower amount of sick days taken from work at the 3 year study. There was no significant different in cervical ROM improvement in these two groups. Initially the cost of this postural training was higher, however ended up being lower when taking into account the cost of sick-leave days, loss of productivity and other interventions.(Drescher) In a study by Schnabel et al, it was determined that active therapy including postural advice and exercise was superior to passive modalities such as massage and ultrasound. (Schnabel) There is limited evidence on specific postural exercises which would best benefit this population, however there has been some proof that

Always have this at the back of your mind that you are standing every day for hours while working with the purpose of getting more healthier, why the major purpose of the standing desk mat is to help in making the goal of been more healthier becomes accomplishable through the regular reduction of risk of