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Tag: pain

Skilled Lifting and Back Pain

Mon, June 26, 2017 Published by

Lifting properly should not be taken lightly. Lifting improperly can lead to serous injury especially chronic back pain. If you follow these lifting skills you can avoid hurting yourself and others:

  • Know how much of a load you can handle, never lift beyond your strength, and get help when you need it.
  • Get a good grip on the load and keep it close to your body while lifting.
  • Lift with your legs, not your back.
  • Lift gradually, avoid quick jerky motions.
  • Turn your feet, not your hips or shoulders, if turning is at all required.

Remember, back pain can affect anyone – men, women, desk workers, laborers, the young and the old.

Common problems affecting the back are strain or fatigue, fractured vertebra, herniated discs and disease such as arthritis or infection. Potential problems result from:

  • Poor physical condition: Poor posture (slouching, rounded shoulders, etc.), lack of exercise and excess weight can contribute significantly to swayback (excess forward curving of the back) and weakened muscles.
  • Chronic strain: Jobs that require you to sit or stand partially bent over for long periods of time can result in excess muscle stress. Partial forward bending without changing position or reaching directly forward puts strain on the opposite side. As chronic strain continues, muscles become less able to withstand strenuous activity and grow more prone to injury.
  • Fatigue: Fatigue, tension and weakness also leave you vulnerable to back injuries. Working too long, too hard or holding the back in a fixed position can cause tension, tired muscles, weakness and less control of movement.

What can you do to prevent back strain?

  • Change position frequently if possible. Shift weight by alternating feet on a footrest during standing jobs or taking periodic breaks away from your desk or terminal.
  • Stretch periodically throughout the day.
  • Adjust working heights to prevent slumping or excess reaching.
  • Relax! Let shoulders and neck muscles go limp. Swivel your head gently and let it drop all the way forward.
  • When standing, stand tall with head held high, abdomen flat and chest slightly up and forward.
  • When sitting, keep knees level with hips and support lower back with firm cushion.
  • Sleep on a firm mattress or use a bed board between the spring and mattress. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.

For more safety tips visit www.copperpoint.com under the “Safety & Resources” tab you can view brochures and videos.

Legacy Left Behind

Mon, January 16, 2017 Published by

There are many reasons we should honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy.  Not only was he a transformational spokesperson for nonviolent activism during the Civil Rights Movement, he was an inspirational leader whose legacy continues to help pave the way to inclusion which we hold near and dear to us here at Beatitudes Campus.  He was a visionary who was persistent, who knew when to push forward and when to pull back, and was someone who knew how to show compassion to those very people who were fighting against him. Below are a few excerpts from Jeff Goins’ blog entitled 5 Lessons from MLK on Living, Leading, & Communicating at http://goinswriter.com. Jeff blogs what many of us think and feel:

“Martin Luther King, Jr. left us a legacy, teaching us as much through what he did as what he said. Maybe more. One of the many lessons Dr. King exemplified was the effectiveness of a life lived out loud, one in which a person’s words and dreams are backed by considerable action.  He showed us our lives must be lived intentionally and without regret, that words mean something and we must speak up in the face of injustice. He taught us that it is one thing to say you have an idea and quite another to act on it. And the man’s courage still inspires millions of people today.

I’m glad Dr. King spoke up and then acted. The world is a better place because of it.

Telling the truth is dangerous

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

There is nothing safe about being honest, nothing comfortable about doing the right thing. If anything, when you are committed to saying what needs to be said, it will likely get you into trouble.  But the fruit is worth the pain.  You’re the one who has to decide this, though. Choose wisely before opening your mouth, and be aware of the consequences. Because as with MLK, this may cost you your life.  But of course, if you don’t speak, it could cost you something far greater.

The first person you need to convince is yourself

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

MLK often spoke about the importance of believing in yourself before trying to convince others to do so. He knew that if we doubt ourselves, so will others. He also knew human beings cannot act according to their identity until they believe it about themselves.  In the field of creative disciplines, we see this to be especially true. “A writer is a writer when he says he is,” says Steven Pressfield.  There’s something about the power of declaration via our voices that forces our hands to act. This may be the most important lesson Dr. King taught us: we are what we are when we decide to be it.

May we honor MLK’s memory by boldly being and believing who we are, then acting on it.”

 

Back Pain

Tue, September 20, 2016 Published by

low-back-pain-blue_02Did you know your back in the most injury prone part of your body? Most people suffer from back pain at some time in their lives. Back pain can affect anyone – men, women, desk workers, laborers, young and old. Billions of dollars are spent each year on thousands of occupational back injuries. Your back is a complex support system comprising four main components: the spine, the spinal cord, nerves and more than 400 muscles. Four common problems can affect the back: strain/fatigue, fractured vertebra, herniated disk and disease such as arthritis or infection.

Reasons for these potential problems include

  • Poor physical condition. Poor posture (slouching, rounded shoulders, etc.), lack of exercise and excess weight can contribute significantly to swayback (excess forward curving of the back) and weakened muscles.
  • Chronic strain. Any job that requires you to sit or stand partially bent over for long periods of time can result in excess muscle stress. Partial forward bending without change of position or reaching directly forward puts strain on both sides of the back. Bending over to one side puts strain on the opposite side.

Over time you may develop less resistance to strain. As chronic strain continues, muscles become less able to withstand strenuous activity and grow more prone to injury. General fatigue, tension and weakness also leave you vulnerable to back injuries. Working too long, too hard or holding the back in a fixed position can cause tension, tired muscles, weakness and less control of movement.

What can you do to prevent or relieve back strain? By following a few simple techniques, you can alleviate a great deal of stress from your back.

  • Change positions frequently if possible. Shift weight by altering feet on a footrest during standing jobs or by taking periodic breaks away from your desk or terminal.
  • Stretch periodically throughout the day.
  • Adjust working heights to prevent slumping or excess reaching.
  • Relax! Let your shoulders and neck muscles go limp. Swivel your head gently and let it drop all the way forward.
  • When standing, stand tall with head held high, abdomen flat and chest slightly up and forward.
  • When sitting, keep knees level with hips and support lower back with a firm cushion.
  • Sleep on a firm mattress or use a bed board between the spring and mattress. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.
  • When lifting an item, always bend at the knees first and slowly raise up, lifting with your legs.

For more back saving tips or any safety information visit scfaz.com.