Back Clinic Work-Related Injuries Chiropractic and Physical Therapy Team. Work injuries and conditions can occur from a variety of circumstances, altering an individual’s lifestyle, however, those that occur in the work field can often also be debilitating and impairing, affecting an individual’s work performance. Work-related injuries can include bone fractures and muscle strains/sprains to conditions causing degeneration of many structures of the body, such as arthritis.
Also referred to as occupational injury, repetitive and constant motions of the hands, arms, shoulders, neck and back, among others, can gradually wear out the tissues, increasing the risk of injury which could eventually lead to further complications. A collection of articles depicts the causes and effects of many work-related injuries, carefully describing each variety. For more information, please feel free to contact us at (915) 850-0900 or text to call Dr. Jimenez personally at (915) 540-8444.
The reason I chose Dr. Jimenez is that he’s very thorough. From the get-go, he diagnoses the problem, diagnoses what he needs to do. I’ve had a couple shoulder injuries, I’ve had some wrist and elbow injuries, back injuries, and Dr. Jimenez has been the only one, like I said, he’s very thorough, he’s got great manners, and he’s nursed me back to health immediately. – Louie Martinez
Similar to athletes who suffer sports injuries, employees can also experience work injuries; simply the circumstances are different. And as with athletes with sports injuries, many employees with work injuries can benefit from chiropractic care. If you’ve suffered a work-related accident which resulted in injury and you require treatment for your specific health issues, a worker’s compensation claim can help pay for the expenses of rehabilitation. However, it’s important to understand the various types of work injuries as well as how a worker’s compensation claim should be filed before receiving treatment. Below, we will discuss how a healthcare professional can help you with your work injury.
Strategies for Payment of Work Injury Treatment
To begin with, the appropriate treatment option, such as chiropractic care, needs to be organized by your treating healthcare professional and the patient’s insurance company should offer approval. If you do not get approval for work injury treatment, do not be alarmed, there are a lot of steps you may take to get the treatment accepted. These essential basic guidelines will be described below, including:
Ask the doctor’s office to file a Form WC-205 requesting acceptance
File a Form WC-PMT for treatment approval
Ask for a hearing in front of a judge to get acceptance
Obtain an worker’s compensation lawyer for faster approval
Common Work Injuries
Serious workplace accidents are much too prevalent and there are a variety of common work injuries which can occur across all occupational sectors. People working in different sorts of jobs face a different range of dangers. By way of instance, an office worker would not have the same risk of suffering burns as a chef in a restaurant would.
What we do understand, however, is that about 144 employees were killed at work between 2015 and 2016 and approximately 621,000 estimated non fatal injuries to workers were reported, equating to an astonishing 4.5 million estimated working days being lost.
The workplace can be a very hazardous place and not only is it the employer’s responsibility to guarantee a safe working environment; every worker also has a responsibility to take care of themselves when they’re on the job. But to be forewarned is to be forearmed, as the saying goes. Here are several of the most common work injuries, where we will also discuss various safe and effective ways to prevent future workplace accidents.
Slips, Trips and Falls
Focusing on the most important dangers within your workplace, particularly the ones with the capability to cause harm, can help prevent work injuries. In many cases, simple measures can readily control risks, for example, ensuring spillages are cleaned up immediately so people don’t slip or making sure cabinet drawers are kept closed to make sure people do not trip and fall. For most, these are easy, economical and effective measures to ensure your most precious asset, that your work force is protected.
Muscle Strains
Strained muscles are just another frequent work-related injury, as anyone who frequently lifts hefty things at work will likely know already. Neck and back strains, specifically, are all too often sustained while working. These injuries can be prevented easily, some basic training on proper lifting techniques can make a tremendous difference. The use of specialized equipment as well as safety tools and gear can also help prevent muscle strains.
Being Hit By Falling Objects
Falling or flying objects in the workplace can expose workers to relatively minor injuries, like cuts or abrasions, as well as more severe injuries such as concussions or blindness. Wearing safety gear and equipment in workplace areas where objects can fall or fly out can help prevent these types of injuries. Moreover, ensuring that your own equipment is secured and wont’ fall or fly away can help prevent these type of work injuries in the first place.
Repetitive Strain Injury
Repetitive strain injury, or RSI, is a health issue that’s become increasingly common in the workplace.�RSI may be caused by many different tasks, including strong or repetitive activity, or by poor posture. The condition mostly affects parts of the upper body, such as the�hands, writs, forearm, elbow, neck and shoulders. The cumulative effect of RSI can be severe in some cases, so it is logical to take the necessary precautions and avoid overexertion.
Crashes and Collisions
Accidents leading to crash or impact injuries are rather frequent in workplace settings as well. Whether they involve cars, lorries or smaller vehicles like forklift trucks, they could have serious consequences. It’s therefore up to companies to make sure that seatbelts and other safety precautions are in position and in use where appropriate, to prevent these types of workplace injuries.
Cuts and Lacerations
All kinds of office implements may end up leaving a painful cut. From power generators to paper trimmers, it is easy to get hurt on the job. The most common causes of those lacerations consist of poor training, inadequate security procedures and neglecting to wear the appropriate protection. Employers may help prevent such accidents by providing adequate safety equipment and putting the right procedures, such as training.
Inhaling Toxic Fumes
The air in several workplaces contains toxic substances in the kind of dusts, fumes, mists, gases and vapours. While most of us do not work with toxic chemicals, those of us who do, without the proper safety measures, may be at risk of impairment to breathing, skin or eye reactions as well as possibly more severe injuries. Employers must provide employees with the correct workwear, such as fitted face masks and goggles, to avoid dangerous exposure.
Exposure to Loud Noise
Loud noise on the job can lead to hearing damage that is permanent and disabling. This can be hearing loss that is gradual due to exposure to noise over time, but also damage caused by sudden, extremely loud noises. Industrial deafness may also result in significant compensation payouts farther across the line, and its often considered to be very much in companies’ interest to disregard this health issue. Safety measures like ear protection can help to prevent it.
Walking Into Objects
It is probably safe to say we’ve all done this at any point. Maybe you’re chatting absent-mindedly or perhaps you’re feeling a little under the weather, when you suddenly end up on the sharp end of a doorway, wall, table or cabinet. Obviously, these accidents can cause damage. Fortunately, such mishaps can be avoided by approving employees to be vigilant and transferring unnecessary hazards out of the way so people can’t walk into them.
Fights at Work
Simmering workplace stress can bubble under for weeks or perhaps years before spilling over into physical confrontation, or rather one workmate can take another’s opinion on last weekend’s game the incorrect way. Fights in the workplace can, unsurprisingly, lead to some serious work injuries. Effective procedures for dealing with employee grievances can reduce the probability of them being irritable and causing fights at work.
Oftentimes, accidents aren’t only brought on by a small mistake or a simple mishap from a busy employee. Many workplace accidents are tied to employer or employee negligence. Even though there’s no shortage of ways people can injure themselves in the office, we do know there are various procedures employers can set up to prevent workers from coming to some avoidable harm. Training, signage and accessibility to the essential safety equipment can all be a major assistance, with regular risk assessments becoming a necessity within the office, as well as in other workplace settings, to help avoid unnecessary mishaps and work injuries.
Dr. Alex Jimenez’s Insight
While the workplace is meant to be a safe and professional environment often supplied with protective gear and equipment, work injuries can sometimes occur. A variety of workplace injuries can lead to trauma, damage or injury and can even aggravate a previously existing condition, although some occur more frequently than others. Common work injuries can include, slips, trips and falls, muscle strains, being hit by falling objects, and repetitive strain injury, among others. However, the most important thing for employees to be aware of at any time an accident occurs is that if they are injured on the workplace, they should report the injury immediately to a supervisor.
Chiropractic Care and Workplace Injuries
Individuals who have been injured at work may often have an underlying condition to begin with. Once they’ve suffered a work injury, however, returning to work is a necessity for the individual’s household. A healthcare professional, such as a chiropractor, will produce a treatment plan that is specifically targeted to your own situation. Goals are put up, and your chiropractor can permit you to achieve those aims. This healthcare professional is your trainer in returning to work. Treatment may consist of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, physical therapeutics, stretching, particular exercises, hot and cold therapy, ultrasound, aquatic therapy and joint mobilization. Chiropractic care is an alternative treatment option which focuses on the treatment of a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the musculoskeletal and nervous system.
When you have been hurt in the workplace, contact a healthcare professional immediately. Chiropractors are skilled and dedicated to your personal restoration. The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic as well as to spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at�915-850-0900�.
Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Acute Back Pain
Back pain is one of the most prevalent causes for disability and missed days at work worldwide. As a matter of fact, back pain has been attributed as the second most common reason for doctor office visits, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. Approximately 80 percent of the population will experience some type of back pain at least once throughout their life. The spine is a complex structure made up of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles, among other soft tissues. Because of this, injuries and/or aggravated conditions, such as herniated discs, can eventually lead to symptoms of back pain. Sports injuries or automobile accident injuries are often the most frequent cause of back pain, however, sometimes the simplest of movements can have painful results. Fortunately, alternative treatment options, such as chiropractic care, can help ease back pain through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, ultimately improving pain relief.
Jesus Rabelo makes a living as an 18 wheeler truck driver at El Paso, TX. After being involved in a crash, Mr. Rabelo suffered from back and shoulder pain that influenced his private life and function, forcing him to need to start all over again. In reference to a highly appreciated recommendation, Jesus Rabelo found Dr. Alex Jimenez, chiropractor in El Paso, TX. Mr. Rabelo describes receiving outstanding service from the team and he highly recommends Dr. Alex Jimenez himself.
18 Wheeler Accident Chiropractic Treatment
In 2013, 54 million individuals sustained injuries from traffic crashes. This led in 1.4 million deaths in 2013, up from 1.1 million deaths in 1990. Automobile accidents can be grouped into various kinds, such as head-on, rear-end, side accidents, and rollovers. Psychological issues may happen because of auto accidents. A variety of injuries and ailments could result in the blunt force injury brought on by a crash, such as whiplash and back pain, among others.
We are blessed to present to you�El Paso�s Premier Wellness & Injury Care Clinic.
As El Paso�s Chiropractic Rehabilitation Clinic & Integrated Medicine Center,�we passionately are focused treating patients after frustrating injuries and chronic pain syndromes. We focus on improving your ability through flexibility, mobility and agility programs tailored for all age groups and disabilities.
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Opioids and Prescription drug abuse and addiction is a significant problem in the United States. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has declared it an epidemic.
Researchers estimate that as many as 36 million people worldwide abuse opioids. Estimates in the U.S. alone reached 2.1 million people in 2012. In 2014, six out of ten drug overdose deaths involved an opioid � including prescription opioids for pain relief.
Every day, 78 Americans die from an opioid overdose. As the Opioid drug problem continues to spiral further out of control, claiming more lives, people are looking for safer, drug free ways to relieve their pain. Chiropractic offers such an option.
What Are Opioids?
Opioids are prescription medications that are intended for pain relief. They work by diminishing the intensity level of pain signals as they reach the brain. They also affect the areas of the brain that control emotion thereby weakening the perception of the pain as well. There are several very popular medications that are classified as opioids:
Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
Oxycodone (Percocet, OxyContin)
Morphine (Avinza, Kadian)
Codeine
The most commonly prescribed opioids are hydrocodone products. They are used to treat pain from injuries, dental work, and typically moderate pain. Milder pain is often treated with codeine but it is also used to treat coughing as well as severe diarrhea. Overall, opioids are used to treat everything from cancer pain to post-op pain to osteoarthritis.
What Are The Dangers Of Opioids?
Opioids have a serious risk of abuse, addiction, and overdose. Even then they are taken as prescribed, opioids can have the following side effects:
Excessive sleepiness
Nausea
Dry mouth
Vomiting
Confusion
Dizziness
Depression
Constipation
Low energy
Sweating
Low testosterone levels that result in a diminished sex drive
Itching
Decreased strength
Increased pain sensitivity
Over time, the body can build up a tolerance to the drug which means that in order to achieve the same relief from pain they must take more of it. Physical dependence is also a concern, usually going hand in hand with tolerance. Once that point is reached the patient will experience symptoms of withdrawal if they stop taking the medication.
If Doctors Are Prescribing Opioids, How Are People becoming Addicted?
In 2013, doctors wrote almost a quarter of a billion prescriptions for opioids. To put that into perspective, that is enough for every adult in the U.S. to have their own bottle of the drug. Doctors prescribe opioids to their patients in an effort to treat pain, but most of the time it is just a band aid. Instead of seeking out the root of the problem and educating their patients on whole body wellness, they prescribe pills that numb the senses, cause unpleasant or even dangerous side effects, and create addictions.
As the patient develops a tolerance for the drug, the doctor increases the prescription. This cycle continues as the patient become more and more dependent upon the drug. They may even experience more pain as the drug increases their pain sensitivity. As patients become addicted, the number of prescription opioid overdose deaths is steadily increasing. The most common drugs involved in these overdose deaths include:
Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
Oxycodone (OxyContin)
Methadone
States are putting measures in place to monitor and regulate how doctors prescribe opiates, but when desperate, addicted patients will go to great lengths to obtain the drugs they are addicted to. They will go to different doctors to get additional prescriptions or even find ways to obtain the drug illegally. It is a heartbreaking problem that is completely preventable.
How Is Chiropractic A Safer Alternative To Opioids?
Chiropractic is a proven method for managing pain relief that is not only effective but safe and drug free. Numerous chiropractic studies confirm what chiropractic patients have been saying for decades: chiropractic care is an excellent pain management method. The spinal adjustments bring the body into balance but that is only the beginning of the benefits. Chiropractic focuses on whole body wellness so patients learn how to take proactive steps to treat their condition.
It also seeks to find the root of the problem and begin healing by treating the cause. Through exercise, diet, and lifestyle recommendations in addition to the chiropractic adjustments, patients can get relief from pain caused by injury, surgery, arthritis, and many other conditions. Chiropractic is so much more than a back pain treatment; it is a whole body, whole patient treatment.
Injured: In 2014, there were 2.8 million occupational injuries. This crossed all industries, but 75 percent were in those that provided a service.
These injuries can lead to time lost at work, decrease in production, depression, and temporary (or permanent) disability. These injuries can be caused by slip and fall, vehicle collisions, electrocution, struck by hazards, and caught in or between accidents. However, work related injury can also be caused by sitting at a desk or hunched over a computer for extended periods of time. Chiropractic has been shown to help workers who have been injured on the job, so they can return to work faster.
Injured
Common Occupational Injuries
Occupational injuries are vast and varied with a host of causes and many different symptoms. They can range from minor annoyances to significant damage that can lead to temporary or permanent disability. Some may require surgery while others require extended physical therapy, braces, and intensive medical treatments.
Thoracic outlet syndrome � This injury is caused by flexing the shoulder, carrying loads on your shoulders, and extending your arms above shoulder height for a prolonged period of time. It is marked by swelling, pain, dull ache, weakness, or a burning sensation in the affected area.
Elbow tendonitis (Epicondylitis) � This injury is caused by forceful or repeated forearm rotation while simultaneously bending the wrist. It is marked by swelling, dull ache, pain, burning, and weakness in the affected area.
Carpal tunnel syndrome � This injury can be caused by several things including vibratory tools, repetitive motion, and secondary factors. It is marked by numbness, pain, tingling, wasting of muscles at the thumb base, and burning.
DeQuervain�s disease � This injury is caused by forceful gripping and repetitive hand twisting. It is marked by pain at the thumb base.
Tendonitis/tenosynovitis � This injury is caused by sustained hyperextension of the knee, repetitive motion, and prolonged load overuse. It is marked by numbness, pain, and swelling in the hands.
Back and neck pain � This injury can have a wide variety of causes from repetitive motion to accident to improper equipment. It is the most common work related injury.
Preventing Workplace Injuries
While a few work related injuries are unavoidable, many can be prevented with a little extra attention and care. The American Chiropractic Association recommends the following practices to reduce the risk of a workplace injury.
Get regular exercise. This helps prevent back injuries by keeping your body strong, fit, and flexible.
If you do desk work, get a chair that fits you. This means that there should be two inches between the backs of your knees and the front edge of the seat. Your knees should be level with your hips or slightly below, never higher.
When doing computer work, use a foot rest for support and keep your knees between a 90 degree and 120-degree angle.
If your job requires you to sit for extended periods of time, take breaks at least every two hours to walk and stretch.
When you lift something heavy or awkward, don�t bend over to do it. Bend at your knees and hips, squatting as you pick up the object and let your legs do the work and keeping the object close to your body while your back remains straight. Do not let your body twist while you are trying to lift.
Of course, you should also follow all recommended and required safety guidelines for your workstation and place of employment.
Chiropractic For Workplace Injuries
Chiropractic care can help speed your recovery, improve your posture, and restore your mobility and strength. Through various chiropractic techniques, many of the occupational injuries listed here can be effectively treated. Chiropractic is a proven method for managing pain for the back and neck, but it has also been proven to be very beneficial for conditions like carpal tunnel, elbow tendonitis, and knee injuries.
Chiropractic�s whole body approach helps injured workers not only manage their pain and help heal their injury through adjustments, it can also help with soft tissue rehabilitation and other noninvasive therapies that improve range of motion. In short, chiropractic can help workers get back to work faster so less time is lost from work and the financial impact is greatly decreased.
Injury Medical Clinic: Accident Treatment & Recovery
Ergonomics in the work place. Back pain is one of the most frequent work-related injuries and is often brought on by ordinary work activities like sitting in an office chair or heavy lifting.� the study of the workplace as it relates to the worker – helps prevent back pain and back injury and help maintain a healthy back.
The objective of an ergonomics program in business is to adapt the workplace to a specific worker, determined by the job description, required tasks, and physical make up of the employee performing these tasks.
Non-accidental injury, where pain occurs as a result of normal activities and needs of the task. This might occur from sitting in an office chair or standing for too long in one position.
Accidental injury results when an unexpected event triggers injury during the task. A load that changes as it is being lifted, and fall and a slip or hitting one’s head on a cabinet door or slips are typical examples. These injuries can jolt other joints, back, and the neck with consequent muscle strain or tearing of soft tissue at the back.
Occupations which are physically demanding and require repetitive lifting (such as in nursing or heavy industry) are at greatest risk for both non-accidental and accidental spine injury. For instance, a number of health workers have problems because patients are of weight and different stature with needs. Often, the patients need help changing position, rising from a chair and walking. Similarly, the physical effort needed to release a trapped individual or save a life is unpredictable. The same problems occur in the building industry where consistencies of tasks are a challenge.
Office Chair Back Injuries
Individuals who sit most of the day, like those working in a computer while sitting in an office chair, are also at high risk for non-accidental spine injury. Office ergonomics, or computer ergonomics, can help minimize the risk such as the dangers associated with prolonged sitting in an office chair, and carpal tunnel syndrome, such as lower back pain, neck strain, and leg pain.
Office Chair: Ergonomics To Reduce Back Pain?
This guide summarize the use of ergonomic concepts, mechanical apparatus and decent body mechanics (biomechanics) that can contribute to reducing back injuries in the work environment for several jobs. Significantly, staying strong, physically fit and flexible improves the probability of preventing back injuries.
There are certain basic ergonomic tips which may help an employee avoid back pain or back injury:
Develop a job description based on the forces within a particular work environment, the time spent performing the task and the biomechanics (which define human moves and seated posture in an office chair) used in the task.
Use body posture as a tool which may be changed to fit the job demands with minimal stress on the muscles, ligaments, bones and joints.
Learn and use proper body mechanics to restrict extra mechanical stress in completing the job.
Maintain fitness and flexibility and create a reserve of strength.
Identifying Poor Posture And Risks
Many potentially harmful situations that lead to back injury can be identified and avoided by following four basic rules of thumb:
Prolonged static posture is your enemy. The healthy body can only tolerate staying in one position for around 20 minutes. That is sitting at a movie theatre, in a desk in an office chair, or on an airplane becomes uncomfortable after a short time. Standing in one area, such as standing on a floor at an assembly line tends to cause back pain. Holding the same position gradually reduces elasticity in the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the back). Stress builds up and causes discomfort and/or leg discomfort back.
The remedy is simple. Whether you are sitting in an office chair or standing in a line, change positions frequently. Just move. Stand or sit, stretch, have a short walk. After returning to the standing or sitting posture, use an alternate posture for only a couple minutes and some.
Frequent or repetitive stretching to the end range of motion or embarrassing, angled positions can liquefy the joints. Unlike jobs that need seating in an office chair, jobs that require motion can cause discomfort. Such tasks involve lifting overhead lifting from the floor, moving loads, or utilizing force or twisting while managing material and which signal back injuries might be on the way.
Heavy loads offer greater risk. It is important to have the proper tools or get help if the job requires moving objects.
Fatigue�from sitting in an office chair, from work or from insomnia can make people move more awkwardly. If one is overtired or feels fatigued, it is advisable to avoid lifting heavy objects alone or quickly.
These ergonomic rules of thumb will help the worker and their backs. Otherwise the worker is at risk of sustaining or aggravating a back injury.
El Paso, TX. Chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez examines patients that go through chiropractic vs. traditional medical care.
Because back pain is such a common problem, a group of Canadian researchers recently investigated the role�that the type of primary caregiver has on financial compensation.
This was a large study of 5,511 patients who experienced a work-related back injury in Ontario, Canada.
Patients Saw The Following Providers For Their First Visit:
85.3% saw a medical doctor
11.4% saw a chiropractor
3.2% saw a physical therapist
A Comparison Of The Duration Of Financial Compensation For Back Pain Among Patients From Each Group
The study found that chiropractic patients had the shortest amount of time receiving compensation for their pain and also were less likely to have a recurrence.
In addition, chiropractic patients didn�t need to see other healthcare providers for their pain. 75% of chiropractic patients saw no other provider, while 58.6% of physical therapy patients also saw a medical doctor.
The authors conclude:
�The type of healthcare provider first visited for back pain is a determinant of the duration of financial compensation during the first 5 months. Chiropractic patients experience the shortest duration of compensation, and physiotherapy patients experience the longest.�
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Blanchette M, Rivard M, Dionne CE, et al. Association between the type of first healthcare provider and the duration of financial compensation for occupational back pain. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation 2016 Sep 17.
N.L. chiropractors� association says workers also get back on the job faster
CBC News
The Newfoundland &�Labrador Chiropractic Association
Seeing A�Chiropractor First After�A Workplace Injury Gets Workers Back On The Job Faster
Dr. Darrell Wade, CEO of the association, said the September 2016 study�analyzed data from more than 5,500 injured workers in Ontario.
�What it found was that the initial provider of care for back pain was a very strong determinant of the duration of financial compensation for at least the first five months of the claim,� he told CBC Radio�s On the Go.
The study, published in the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, found that workers who saw a chiropractor first, rather than a physician or a physiotherapist, needed full compensation for a shorter time.
�What they found was that people who had seen a chiropractor first had seen about a 20 per cent less cost in these claims over those who visited their family physician,� he said.
The study involved more than 5,000 injured workers in Ontario, comparing time lost depending on which health care professional they saw first. (CBC)
A majority of workplace injuries are related to joints and muscles, making chiropractors a logical choice for the first visit, said Wade.
�Getting to the person who is most adequately equipped to treat your injury in the first place is what really accounts for the reductions in lost time from work and compensation costs,� he said.
In the study, done by researchers at the University of Montreal, just 11 per cent of the workers saw a chiropractor first, and Wade says that percentage would be less in Newfoundland and Labrador.
�It does speak to a great potential for improvement in our system, were we to use chiropractors more as the front line for musculoskeletal injuries, in particular, back pain,� he said.
�All too often these patients are not getting to us until three�months after an injury and at that point the chance of success decreases significantly.�
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Individuals who sit most of the day, like those working in a computer while sitting in an office chair, are also at high risk for non-accidental spine injury. Office ergonomics, or computer ergonomics, can help minimize the risk such as the dangers associated with prolonged sitting in an office chair, and carpal tunnel syndrome, such as lower back pain, neck strain, and leg pain.
Many potentially harmful situations that lead to back injury can be identified and avoided by following four basic rules of thumb:
These ergonomic rules of thumb will help the worker and their backs. Otherwise the worker is at risk of sustaining or aggravating a 
