Seddon Physiotherapy

New Year, New injury?
Come and see us at Seddon Physio for an appointment.

Call 0466 180 746 or visit seddonphysio.com to make an appointment.

Looking for a set of resistance bands to help with strengthening?
We sell them here at Seddon Physio.
Now $25 for 5
130C Gamon st Yarraville

Looking for a set of resistance bands to help with strengthening?

We sell them here at Seddon Physio.
$30 for 5
130C Gamon st Yarraville

Exercise Ball
Great for strengthening core, hamstrings and back.
$35
130C Gamon st Yarraville

Expert tips on how to exercise with chronic pain. And no, it's not about 'pushing through the pain' - ABC Everyday Feeling daunted by the prospect of movement? Experts say the secret is to 'go for it, but gently'.

Ergonomic Equipment

- Sit Stand Desks
- Vertical Mouse
- Ergonomic Chairs and desks

Exercises to improve Posture

Shrugs and Shoulder Blade Squeezes

10 reps x5-6 sets

More stretches

- Neck – side to side, down to armpit
- Shoulders- Arm across
- Arms and chest- Pec stretches
- Back- Lat Dorsi stretches, back rolls, rotations
- Legs and buttock- Hamstrings, Quads,
calves and glutes

Stretching

- 15-20 second holds, 5-6 times a day
- Before, during and after work
- Foam rollers
- Heat Packs

Poor Standing Posture

- Sway Back
- Flat Back
- Forward head
- Rounded shoulders
- Standing on one leg
- Hallow back

Standing Posture

- Keep neutral spine
- Maintain curvature in spine
- Shoulders, hips and feet in line
- Even weight through both feet
- Correct height of table

Poor sitting Posture

- The most common condition that contributes to neck pain is forward head and shoulder posture.
- Forward head posture is when the neck slants forward placing the head in front of the shoulders.
- The forward pull of the weight of the head puts undue stress on the vertebrae of the lower neck, contributing to degenerative disc disease and other degenerative neck problems.

Effects of Poor Posture on the Cervical Vertebrae:

- The Neck is particularly vulnerable to forward head posture.
- The lower cervical vertebrae (C5 and C6) may slightly slide or shear forward relative to one another as a result of the persistent pull of gravity on a forward head.
- This shear force can be a problem for patients with jobs that require them to look down or forward all day, such as pharmacists who spend many hours counting pills or data entry workers who look at a computer screen.

Good Posture:

- Enables muscles to coordinate in a more-efficient manner, ensuring the body utilises less energy, thus eliminating muscle fatigue. This allows one to undertake tasks for longer periods with minimal exhaustion.
- Holds the spinal joints in place, which is essential in maintaining a good posture. With less stress on the ligaments, coupled with aligned spinal joints, the possibility of injury is greatly minimised.
- Aids in preventing back and muscular pain, all which are signs of a poorly relaxed body. Thus eliminating a myriad of other ailments that may accompany such issues.
- Decreases the abnormal wearing of joints by keeping them and the bones properly aligned. By ensuring our muscles are used correctly and that no wear or tear occurs, chronic risks like arthritis are duly eliminated.

Posture describes how a person carries his or her body, including the head, spine and limbs.

Sustaining a good posture is a big part of your health. It ensures that your bones are well aligned with the rest of the body, while the tension in your muscles and ligaments is properly distributed.

More so, it keeps the body parts in their rightful positions with minimal stress.

Protecting your Back

- The back is particularly vulnerable to manual handling injuries. Safety suggestions include controlling risk factors in the workplace, in addition to personal controls:
- Lift and carry heavy loads correctly by keeping the load close to the body and lifting with the thigh muscles.
- Never attempt to lift or carry loads if you think they are too heavy.
- Pushing a load (using your body weight to assist) will be less stressful on your body than pulling a load.
- Use mechanical aids or get help to lift or carry a heavy load whenever possible.
- Organise the work area to reduce the amount of bending, twisting and stretching required.
- Take frequent breaks.
- Cool down after heavy work with gentle, sustained stretches.
- Improve your fitness – exercise regularly to strengthen muscles and ligaments, and reduce excess body fat.
- Warm up cold muscles with gentle stretches before engaging in any manual work.

The Muscular System

- The muscular system of the spine is complex, with several different muscles playing important roles.
- The muscles in the vertebral column provide spinal support and stability and serve to flex, rotate, or extend the spine.
- Specific muscles are associated with movement of parts of the anatomy. For example, the Sternocleidomastoid muscle (neck area) assists with movement of the head, while the Psoas Major muscle (low back area) is associated with flexion of the thigh.

The Spine Continued...

- Each vertebra is separated by intervertebral discs which are flexible cartilage discs.
- These allow movement in the spine and have a shock absorbing or cushioning function as well.
- The spinal cord runs from the brain stem down the spinal column surrounded by bone and nerves exit at each level of the spine to supply muscles joints and skin.
- In basic terms, and as far as the patient is concerned, the spine has two main functions. The first function is a purely mechanical one - to bear load. The second function is a purely structural one - to protect the spinal cord and the associated nerves.

The Spine

- The spine consists of 33 bones or vertebrae.
- The 5 sections of the spine or vertebral column are the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and the coccyx.
- The cervical spine forms the neck and has 7 bones Movement in the neck allows flexion and extension as well as rotation and combined movements so we can move our head in all directions.
- The thoracic spine has 12 vertebrae and articulates with each rib, this forms the middle of your back. Most of the movement in this section involves rotation of the spine.
- The lower back is formed by the lumbar spine 5 vertebrae and predominantly allows bending of the spine.
- The pelvis which is mage up of the sacrum, coccyx and both hip joints is the base of our spine and transfers loads from the spine to the lower limbs.

Demonstration of Lifting

- Raise the load with your legs
- Lift the load with your legs, not your back, in a smooth motion (avoid twisting or jerky movements)
- Maintain normal curvature of the spine

- Turn your feet in the direction you want to move
- Change direction by pointing your feet and not twisting your back
- To set the load down, squat down, keep your head up and allow your legs to carry the weight

Demonstration of Lifting

- Move the load as close to the body as possible
- Carry the load as close to the body as possible
Secure your grip

- Always bend your knees
- Keep feet apart in a comfortable position (usually in line with hips)
- Minimise lower back bending
- Bend knees (squat or semi-squat position)

Demonstration of Lifting

- Size up that load
- Assess the load (shape, size and weight)
- Determine where the load needs to be moved and placed
- Determine whether you can carry the load or whether a mechanical aid should be used

Examples of Manual Handling

Musculoskeletal Disorders

- Sprains and strains of muscles, ligaments and tendons.
- Back injuries
- Joint and bone injuries or degeneration.
- Nerve injuries or compression (for example carpal tunnel syndrome).
- Musculoskeletal Injuries can occur:
- Slowly through gradual wear and tear caused by repeated or continuous use of the same body parts, including static body positions.
- Suddenly through strenuous activity or unexpected movements such as when lifting loads from different positions.

Reducing or Eliminating Manual Handling Risks

Safety suggestions include:
- Change the task – ask ‘Does this task need to be carried out? If so, does it have to be done this way?’
- Change the object – for example, repack a heavy load into smaller parcels
- Change the workspace – for example, use ergonomic furniture and make sure work benches are at optimum heights to limit bending or stretching
- Change the environmental conditions – including heat, cold and vibration
use mechanical aids – such as wheelbarrows, conveyor belts, cranes or forklifts
- Change the nature of the work – for example, offer frequent breaks or the chance to do different tasks
- Offer proper training – inexperienced workers are more likely to be injured.

Assessing the Risks

Typical risk factors that can increase the risk of injury include:
- Type of work – working in a fixed posture for a prolonged period of time
- Layout of the workspace – a cramped or poorly designed workspace can force people to assume awkward postures, such as bending or twisting
- Weight of an object – a heavy load may be difficult to lift and carry
- Location of an object – heavy objects that have to be lifted awkwardly, for example above shoulder height or from below knee level
- Duration and frequency – increasing the number of times an object is handled or the length of time for which it is handled
- Condition of an object – more effort may be required to manipulate badly designed or poorly maintained equipment
- Awkward loads – loads that are difficult to grasp, slippery or an awkward shape

Identifying Workplace Hazards

Some factors in the workplace may increase the risk of an injury occurring. These hazards can be identified in different ways:
- Walk through the workplace and look for potential hazards.
- Talk over risk factors with workers.
- Check through injury records to help pinpoint recurring problems.
- Regularly monitor and update risk identification.
- A detailed process, including requirements for identifying hazardous manual handling and implementing risk controls, is available from WorkSafe Victoria.

Why is Correct manual handling important?
- 28% of injuries to Victorian workers are caused by manual handling tasks.
- Good posture and lifting techniques can help reduce the risks of manual handling injuries.
- Research also indicates that making changes to workplace design is an effective way to prevent manual handling injuries.
- Identifying and assessing risks of manual handling hazards can help reduce workplace injuries.

What is Manual Handling?

Manual handling is any activity requiring the use of force, exerted by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain an object, person or animal.

Hazardous manual handling involves:
- repeated, sustained or high force
- sustained awkward posture
- repetitive movements
- exposure to sustained vibration
- handling people or animals
- loads that are unstable, unbalanced or hard to hold

The shoulder is a very complex joint.

The shoulder blade plays a big role in the movement of your arm and shoulder.

Have a look below at some of the common injuries of the shoulder and elbow.