Advice from the The House Clinics

With the stressful pace of modern life and the rise in jobs that involve sitting for extended periods, it is essential to ensure that activities you carry out in the course of work and at home are done in ways that won't lead to pain, injury, or long-term health problems. Keep your environment as healthy as possible with the following suggestions.

Lifestyle screening

Health and Lifestyle Screening starts with a full and detailed consultation to determine your current health status. Two 30 minute appointments are typically all that is required.

A lifestyle check assesses for risk factors in your lifestyle (at work, recreation, travel) with practical advice on how to improve and maintain good health.

Ergonomic Advice

Healthy Working At A PC

Sitting causes the pelvis to twist backwards, flattening the lumbar spine. This causes the muscles to work harder, and places increased stresses on the discs.

How you sit is affected by the backrest angle, the seatbase and the support of the base.

• Sit with your lower back supported against the back rest at the base of the chair.
• Tilt you chair seat forwards approximately 15 degrees which induces a natural curve in your spine and if necessary sit on a wedge shaped cushion.
• Adjust the seat height and angle so that your hip joint are 10cm higher than the knee joints
  Adjust your work surface so that you keep your elbows at your side. Forearms are parallel to the floor and supported by the desk. Relax your shoulders and keep your wrist in a neutral position
  Relax your shoulders and keep your wrists in a neutral position.  If necessary use wrist supports for your keyboard/mouse mat
• Place your keyboard flat on your desk surface and use a vertical stand , attached to the screen, for copying typing
  Hold your head squarely over your shoulders
  The top of the screen should be at eye level and facing you to avoid rotation
• The correct posture when writing is very similar to using a PC, except the use of a writing slope ensures the chin is not tilted too far forwards
• Take frequent 1 minute breaks (every 30 minutes)
  Perform regular exercises to stretch the neck and shoulders.  (perform those exercises advised to you by your therapist)

Healthy Driving Posture

Sitting with the correct posture reduces the strain on the spine and the joints and prevents muscle fatigue. The optimum position when driving is to have the seat back reclined at 15 degrees and the chair seat tipped forward to bring the knees below the hips - this can be achieved by sitting on a wedge cushion.

Try to relax the shoulders keeping a bend in the elbow and a light grip on the steering wheel.Adjust the headrest so that the middle of the headrest is level with the top of the ear.

A bad driving position is hunched over the wheel:

Healthy Sleeping Posture

We spend many hours of the day in bed therefore it is as important to have a good posture while asleep as it is when we are awake:

The normal curves of the spine should be maintained in the neutral position when in bed. A supportive bed maintains the normal body curves (e.g. a pocket sprung bed)

A soft non-supportive bed produces a "hammock shapped" spine:

A hard bed forces the spine to curve against its natural curves:

Your pillow should support your neck and allow it to rest in a balanced position by filling the gap between your head and the bed. Orthopaedic pillows can be valuable in achieving this, and choice will depend on personal preference.

Healthy Lifting Position

To reduce stress on the low back, the following points should be followed:

• Always lift objects within your limitations
• Ask for assistance if the object to be lifted is awkward or heavy
• Adopt a firm, wide stance
• Bend your knees keeping your back straight when you lift
• Keep the lifted object close to your chest not at arms reach
• Never lift objects above head height; use a stepladder if necessary
• Do not twist when holding a heavy object, especially if the spine is bent
• Avoid jerk lifting
• Avoid lifting after prolonged sitting or early in the morning
• Use the pelvic neutral and co-contraction technique as advised by your therapist to support the spine while lifting

When shopping:

• Try to use a shallow rather than a deep shopping trolley so that you are not bending over to lift out heavy shopping bags
• Push rather than swing shopping trolleys around a corner
• Carry equal amounts of shopping in each hand

Healthy Pregnancy Posture

A good posture during pregnancy will help minimise discomfort and prevent pain, particularly during the last two months.

Holding your back straighter helps to reduce strain on the lumbar spine particularly during the later months of pregnancy.