Bristol Osteopaths • Getting you back to health since 1993
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Ergonomic Workstation Assessment

A remarkably large number of patients we see have symptoms related to their posture at work.

Common complaints include repetitive strain injury (RSI), pain in the shoulders, low back, hips, knees or wrists, and headaches.

Typically these patients have developed an asymmetrical posture over time, so much so that they now perceive it to be normal. The source of this imbalance can be quite unremarkable – perhaps they always lean or twist to one side to talk to a colleague, or their monitor is slightly off centre. This may not cause any issues at first, but will gradually lead to muscular tensions and the foundations of more serious problems.

Some people know that their workstation is set up poorly but are unable to get to the root of the problem. We’ve heard of patients using an amazing array of equipment to patch up their workstations, such as planks of wood, garden furniture, antique chairs, camping equipment and foam packing cases.

However, this is no substitute for having a workstation that is set up ergonomically to fit you and your body. This is the best way to ensure your posture is not adversely affected while you are at work.

Our practice has over 20 years ofexperience in workstation advice. There are two ways we can help you:

  1. During your treatment, we can find the link between your symptoms and your work posture. This may involve giving you specific handouts, postural advice, exercises and explaining the link between posture and symptoms.
  2. Or we can visit your workplace and see first-hand your working environment, your posture, and how you sit in relation to your desk. This is usually more revealing and ensures we identify issues that might otherwise be missed. Sometimes this is because your mental picture of your own work posture and desk set-up is different from reality. Long term postural habits often fool the mind, and poor posture can become the norm. Therefore visiting your office makes it easier for us to link your symptoms to your posture. We can change your workstation according to our findings, supplying handouts and reports if needed.

We can either visit your office on a one to one basis or arrange group visits. Please contact us for more information.

 

Bristol Osteopaths