Posts Tagged ‘Sick Leaves’
Low Back Pain: Discipline is Cure!
Lower back pain has emerged as one of the commonest ailments across the globe. So great is the number of people affected by it that, it is said to be the reason for more sick leaves than any other physical problem.
Back pain can either be acute or chronic. Acute back pain is the one that hits you in a flash and is highly painful but does not last for very long. In other words, it hits hard but stays for a short while. Chronic back pain is hard and persists for a much longer duration. Both the kinds are equally capable of throwing away your life routine out of gear.
The acute lower back pain is normally a result of some kind of injury. For instance you might injure your back in the process of lifting a heavy object carelessly. A fall may also be injurious and so can be an accident. So, acute lower back pain occurs for a reason and the reason is very much visible. However, the same is not the case with chronic lower back pain.
Chronic lower back pain can occur for a number of reasons and the causes are not so visible. The causes can be many, ranging from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to disc degeneration and disc herniation. And these conditions can be diagnosed only after a series of tests and scans.
So far as the treatment is concerned, it depends very much on the cause of it. Fortunately, nearly all kinds of lower back pain, whatever their cause be, are treated without resorting to surgery in most of the cases.
So, the treatment is very much available but lower back pain can be dealt with much before it actually occurs. All it takes is disciplined living. Just keep your posture right and start exercising regularly. Back stretching exercises are particularly helpful in preventing lower back pain. The exercises to strengthen core abdomen muscles help a great deal in making your back strong enough to bear minor jerks and sprains with ease. Regular exercising increase the flexibility of muscles, which makes them less prone to injury.
Therefore, if you are suffering from lower back pain, pay attention to your posture and make exercise a part of your routine. Back pain would soon be a part of forgettable history.
kanishkmanchanda
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/low-back-pain-discipline-is-Cure-135811.html
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Herniated Discs & Worker Absenteeism: How to Eliminate Back Pain & Increase Productivity Virtually Over Night
Have your employees called in sick to work lately because they have a “slipped” or “ruptured” disc in the Back? Have they complained that their Back “went out” and that they have a burning Pain centered in the lower back? Or have they complained of a shooting pain that begins in the buttocks and goes down the back of one leg?
Chances are your employees have complained to you about a herniated disc especially in the lower back. Low back pain will affect 4 out 5 people during their lifetime. In fact Over 20 million Americans suffer from back pain caused by the derangement of an inter-vertebral disk.
Back injuries cause 100 million lost days of work annually and costs businesses as much as $100 billion every year.
After the common cold, back pain is the second most common cause that Americans call in sick from work. It is one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization and the third most common reason to undergo a surgical procedure.
Lower back pain and herniated discs account for 15% of sick leaves. One-fifth of all workers compensation claims are due to low back pain. In comparison to other medical conditions, it causes the greatest loss of productivity.
So, how can you treat back pain and increase you productivity?
When it comes to treating herniated discs, most employees will use traditional treatments such as ice/heat, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications and even surgery. While these may deliver some relief, it will usually be temporary if at all.
The major problem with these traditional treatments is that they only address the symptoms of a herniated disc. They do not address the actual cause of the problem. For example, even if your employees were to have invasive surgery and get some pain relief, the fact is the root cause that caused the disc to become herniated in the first place is still there.
There is what I call the hidden cause, it is over looked by most and it is simply this…
Our bodies adapt and change to our environment and this adaptation will over time cause what are called Muscle Imbalances. Those imbalances will cause what are called postural dysfunctions.
If the dysfunctions are not addressed, they will continue to place uneven pressure and strain on the discs and sooner or later your employees will likely have another problem with that disc, or others. This means more absenteeism, higher costs, and further deterioration in your company’s productivity,
To eliminate worker absenteeism related to back pain and herniated discs and increase productivity your employees must learn to identify and address the underlying cause of their problem.
Unfortunately, most doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists don’t spend time or focus on identifying the physical dysfunctions that are responsible for the condition. So most employees jump from one useless traditional treatment to the next and suffer with continuous herniated disc flare-ups for months or years unnecessarily.
Here Are 3 Ways to Identify and Address the Underlying Causes of Your Employee’s Back Problems So You Can Cut Costs & Improve Productivity:
1. Understand how job function causes back pain: Sitting, Standing and doing repetitive motions all day long will cause, muscle imbalances. Over time this will cause postural dysfunctions that will cause your spine to go into abnormal curvature. This will cause a disc to herniated…
2. Take postural assessment photos: The most persuasive evidence you can show your employees that they are developing postural dysfunction and will over time put themselves at risk for back pain is to take photos. Photograph your employees from the front and from the side. When assessing the photos some things to look for are:
- Are the shoulders level?
- Are the hips level?
- Is the head inline with the shoulders?
- Is the trunk forward or backward of the knees?
- Do you see twisting in the trunk?
3. Hire a professional for the day: Have a qualified professional come to your office. This person should be a Manual Physical Therapist or Personal Trainer trained to assess your posture and design a corrective program.
Understanding back pain and taking action are two totally different animals. No one thinks that it will happen to them. And because it takes so long for our bodies to reach the point of pain, almost no one takes action to prevent back pain. So if back pain is an issue at your work place you should incorporate an incentive based program… one that encourages education and consistent action.
Dr. Robert Duvall, Dpt, Atc
http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/herniated-discs-worker-absenteeism-how-to-eliminate-back-pain-increase-productivity-virtually-over-night-139467.html
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