Poor ergonomic habits can lead to pain and disability whether at work or home. Ergonomic risk factors to avoid include repetition, force, awkward posture, static posture, contact stress, compression, and vibrations. A good ergonomics program has been shown to always be successful if the elements listed are included.
Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the worker to reduce risk factors for pain and injury.
When the requirements of a job exceed the capacity of the worker, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) can occur.
People who spend a lot of time driving, social networking, or gaming can also minimize risk factors for the development of musculoskeletal pain and disorders (MSDs).
Continue reading “Ergonomics at work and home”The importance of teaching ergonomics young to aid in the development of good ergonomic habits and reduction of MSDs. Tips for student ergonomic safety, ergonomic safety for students with an after-school job, and ergonomic tips for teachers.
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams
“. . .We highly encourage educational gifts that stimulate the mind, inspire creativity, and provoke thought. Let’s thoughtfully give our children something they can keep with them forever. Let’s give them the gift of knowledge.”
Karla Hernandez Mats, President of the United Teachers of Dade County, who represents the rights of more than 25,000 education professionals
Teachers work hard to help kids succeed by providing the gift of knowledge that can last a lifetime. Their hard work and dedication can take its toll on the body.
Historically, by the time an individual begins to feel pain from poor ergonomics, it is too late to do anything about it. That is still true except in the case of teachers. Most teachers are young enough to have been taught about ergonomics.
Continue reading “For Teachers and Students, Ergonomics Matters”Dyspareunia is painful sex that occurs before, during or after intercourse. Women usually experience dyspareunia during sex. Men usually experience it upon ejaculation, and it is a symptom of prostatitis. It is a common problem; however, many medical professionals are not aware of this syndrome causing patients frustration.
“Dyspareunia (difficult mating) is defined as genital pain that occurs before, during, or after intercourse. The repeated experience of pain during intercourse can cause marked distress, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties, leading to anticipation of a negative sexual experience and eventually to sexual avoidance.”
American Psychiatric Association, 4th ed. 1994
Dyspareunia can occur in women and men. Some sources estimate dyspareunia occurs in two-thirds of all women. The medical literature does not quantify the number of men with this condition; however, it is a symptom of prostatitis.
Vaginal infections or infections of the prostate are the most common successfully-treated causes of dyspareunia.
Continue reading “Dyspareunia is Painful Sex in Women and Men”Some newspaper archives of The Buttpillow® – Miami Herald; St. Paul Pioneer Press; Santa Fe New Mexican; The Columbus Dispatch; and Inventors Digest® after Pillow with Cantilever Supports Patent. Ergonomic Seating Cushion Patent was not granted until 2003.
The Buttpillow® was featured in 100 newspapers due to its “shock value.” The word “Butt” was shocking in 2002. You can check it out if you go to newspapers.com. We can’t link to the articles because you need to pay for them now; but you can look it up on newspapers.com.
Luckily, we had kept some paper copies featured below:
Continue reading “The Buttpillow® in the News”“The study of history can sometimes fool us into the belief that societies progressively improve on what has come before, as our body of knowledge increases. It seems we do not march slowly forward to an ultimate solution in this regard, but rather we tend to reinvent and then forget.” Kim Gurr
“A History of Seating in the Western World” discusses seating beginning with ancient Egypt through the modern ergonomics professional. It is a research paper based on the Postgraduate Diploma in Ergonomics Research project performed by Kim Gurr under the supervision of Leon Straker, Physiotherapy, and Phillip Moore, Social Sciences, at the Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia. Unfortunately, Ms. Gurr died before finalizing her research.
Seating is an important issue for contemporary ergonomics. Its frequent use by humans and its association with musculoskeletal disorders are just some of the reasons for its importance.
To understand the place of seating in modern Western societies, it is useful to understand its history.
This paper presents an overview of the ancient history of seating and the modern history of Western seating with particular emphasis on the design influences over the past 5,000 year period.
Continue reading “A History of Seating in the Western World by Kim Gurr”“Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for lost work time and Workers’ Compensation claims,” (Chase, J.A., et al., 1991).
In a study of the relationship between lordosis (the curve of the spine) and sitting, researchers (Keegan JJ) found the most important factor in low back pain with prolonged sitting to be decreased trunk-thigh angle with consequent flattening of the lumbar spine. The flattening of the lumbar curve happens when an individuals slouches or leans forward often while sitting on a flat seat surface.
Continue reading “Tips to Minimize Back Pain”Hemorrhoids are common. Women during pregnancy have a high incidence of hemorrhoids. Some causes can be minimized such as prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, heavy lifting and others. Evidence shows a relationship between hemorrhoids and erectile dysfunction in people younger than 30. Hemorrhoidal Prostatic Impotence Syndrome was named in the 1940’s.
A hemorrhoid can be described as a big, bulging varicose vein in the rectum.
A hemorrhoid is defined as a “mass of dilated, tortuous veins in the ano-rectum involving the venous plexuses of that area.” – Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Edition 18. Syn. Pile – a single hemorrhoid; or Piles – hemorrhoids.
Changes during pregnancy, such as constipation, hemorrhoids, heartburn, pelvic pain, and back pain are discussed as well as what to expect when you go to the hospital for a vaginal delivery.
This document about Pregnancy and Labor and Delivery of a baby was written by Darren Salinger, M.D., OB/GYN with answers to questions frequently asked by patents during his more than 20 years of practice.
The changes that take place during the short span of human pregnancy are profound.
Many of these changes occur soon after fertilization and continue throughout the entire pregnancy. Most of these incredible adaptations are in response to the growing fetus and the hormonal changes the fetus produces in its mother.
Continue reading “PREGNANCY — Fertilization to Labor and Delivery”This document explains how to complete OSHA Forms 300, 300-A, and 301 and when to keep a separate confidential list for “privacy concern” cases. It was written by John Loomos, Esq. formerly of ALPA and Eastern Air Lines. A 2018 Department of Labor Trade Release informed employers they must electronically submit information from Form 300, 300-A, and 301 to OSHA. Form 300-A, the Summary, must be posted no later than February 1 each year even if there are no injuries (it must be posted with zeros in the total lines) and provided to employees. The Government representatives authorized to receive records are listed. Any OSHA Survey or Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey must be promptly completed and returned.
The following document explaining how to fill out OSHA’s required record-keeping forms —
— was written by John Loomos, Esq., in 2002.
According to a U.S. Department of Labor Trade Release dated April 30, 2018, notice was given that OSHA had taken action to correct an error made with regard to implementation of the final rule.
OSHA determined that Section 18 (c) (7) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and relevant OSHA regulations pertaining to State Plans, require all affected employers to submit injury and illness data in the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) Online Portal even if the employer is covered by a State Plan that has not completed adoption of their own state rule. Employers must electronically submit information from the Form 300, Form 300A, and Form 301 to OSHA by July 1, 2018.
The records kept on paper (prior to the 2018 requirement to submit electronically) must be kept for five years.
Continue reading “OSHA Record-keeping Requirements”This article discusses the four prostatitis syndromes defined by the National Institutes of Health. It also includes the many names prostatitis has been called in the past and describes its new classification as Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) by the European Association of Urologists. Research indicates CPPS impairs quality of life to a similar degree as a heart attack or Chron’s disease.
Problems associated with prostatitis include: Hesitant Urination, urinary urgency, burning sensation (dysuria), frequent urination (nocturne), pain in the groin, infertility, painful ejaculation or dyspareunia.
Causes of prostatitis include pelvic trauma (Horse Riding or Cycling) and prolonged sitting.
Continue reading “Prostatitis syndromes – a review of the literature”
