What can you do to prevent injuries and avoid healthcare costs?

Healthcare costs and serious injuries are avoidable: what can you do to stay out of the system?

Painful injuries from repetitive strain or long days of sitting in our office chairs are common. Most of us know someone who has been to physiotherapy or chiropractors to help them with pain in their back, strain in their wrist, or tightness in their hips.

These injuries can sneak up on us. We’ve often worked long hours with no pain or discomfort. How does it happen? Perhaps we noticed (and ignored) a small tweak before the pain? It also might have gotten worse over the last few months of working from home in uncomfortable chairs or sitting on the floor. In some, more severe cases, it may take pain medication to get us through the day.

Recognizing warning signs and preventing injuries – called Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) – can be complicated.

LIFEFORM® can help. We’ve been listening to our customers for almost 50 years. They tell us about their pain – when it comes, where it’s located, and how they manage it. Learning from these experiences, we design office chairs, adopting new and innovative technologies to identify solutions to issues before they become chronic. One such example is the Core-flex^® split seat; encouraging a small range of natural motion by actually splitting the seat. Core muscles are stimulated, allowing for improved comfort and increased circulation.

Learning the basic but important stats

MSD in North America accounts for the most lost-time injuries, the highest lost-time claim costs, and the most lost-time workdays of any type of injury. In Canada, Workers’ Compensation Board figures from various jurisdictions across the country indicate that MSDs account for 25% to 60% of total annual compensation claims. Statistics are very similar in the U.S.

Often painful and disabling, they can also interfere with all kinds of tasks at work, at home, and at play. Even in the early stages, recovery from MSD often requires months or even years of treatment. In severe cases, there may be a permanent disability. Promoting a preventive care program to avoid injuries before they develop seems like a smart decision for everyone involved. This can be large-scale, like creating an ergonomic program in your company. Or they can also be simple – with the purchase of a quality ergonomic chair to give your employees the support they need.

With over 20 ergonomic options to build our office chairs, LIFEFORM® designs each one to be easily adaptable to individual needs. If there is pain or discomfort in the wrist, we have an armrest for that. Need more back support? Our adjustable lumbar support goes where you need it most. Have a neck issue? Our built-in or add-on headrests will save you a lot of headaches. Literally.

The cost of MSD injuries

Ergonomics provides a means for adjusting your work environment and work practices to do just that; prevent injuries before they occur. If effective, these ergonomic programs are a cost-saving opportunity and the right thing to do for employers and employees alike. Considering injuries cost millions of dollars every year in direct and hidden costs, companies need to start asking if they can afford the price of not incorporating ergonomic practices into their operations.

And while there is a large burden to companies, and to the healthcare system in general because of MSD, the other side of the issue is more personal. What do MSD injuries cost the person affected by the injury itself? They are often left with pain, stress, loss of productivity, time off for medical appointments, and less time with family.

The Benefits

The scope of ergonomics is very broad but mainly refers to assessing work-related factors that may pose a risk of MSDs and recommendations to relieve them. Examples of these risk factors are found in jobs requiring repetitive tasks; typing and prolonged awkward postures; sitting for long periods of time without the proper support.

Good ergonomic design in the workplace can improve productivity, help avoid illness and injury risks, and lead to increased satisfaction among workers. Investing in injury prevention programs saves money on injury management.

It’s not just enough to HAVE these programs. Preventing injuries before they get to the debilitating stage needs involvement and buy-in from everyone involved. Support and active engagement is required – certainly from the company leadership, and also from the employees.

There are serious risks involved in sitting for long periods of time and performing repetitive tasks. However, we can prevent becoming a statistic, whether it’s a business or an individual employee. It’s essential to make sure your chair provides the right support to keep ergonomic alignment. And always reinforce to employees how important this alignment is. Keeping employees out of the healthcare system is a huge win for them and your company. If they’re paying attention to smaller aches and pains, these can be dealt with before they become a real problem that can cost money, time, and productivity.

Want to learn more? Call LIFEFORM® to get more details on how we can help your company with ergonomic office chairs and accessories.

Why is having an ergonomic chair for your office so important?

Now that many people are going back to the office, at least part-time, they may be spending more time working undisturbed, sitting in one spot, than they have in the past several months. If they haven’t experienced any pain or discomfort so far, that’s a good sign. But without having the proper office chair for ergonomic support, problems can begin for the lower back and neck. These issues reduce productivity, amplify lack of focus, and (research has shown) could lead to increased absenteeism.

There are several reasons why purchasing ergonomic chairs for your office is a good idea:

1. Support your body
When sitting at a desk for extended periods of time without the proper support, your body becomes fatigued and you may start to experience pain or discomfort, often in the lower back. Having a quality, a well-designed ergonomic chair will allow most users of different sizes – including big and tall – to achieve good support where you need it.

2. Achieve a neutral posture
Superior ergonomic office chairs have different adjustments to make sure you have the ideal neutral posture alignment to prevent many long-term health issues. For example, LIFEFORM^® chairs have over 20 ergonomic options, like adjustable lumbar support and seat slider depth, to fit your individual needs. Our unique contour seat design distributes your weight evenly and decreases pressure points on the back of the thighs and tailbone.

3. Reduce neck problems
Issues with the lower back are discussed most often, but your neck and shoulders are also at risk for long-term issues if you have an office chair without the proper neck support. Some ergonomic chairs have built-in headrests (like the LIFEFORM^® High-Back chairs) or they can be added to the design (Executive Mid-Back chairs) to help improve blood flow, which increases concentration while reducing neck muscle strain and stiffness or injury that may occur.

Mitigate wrist issues
Having armrests that can be adjusted to appropriately support the weight of your arms reduces muscle strain in the shoulders and upper arms. As well, armrests are beneficial when using the keyboard or mouse, to prevent strain which can lead to long-term wrist issues. Ideally, your armrests have a swivel function and a height adjustment so they can be positioned where and when you need them.

4. Identify unique solutions for back pain
not all ergonomic office chairs are created equal. Innovations need to be made, grounded in science-based evidence, to improve our work lives. At LIFEFORM^®, we pride ourselves on keeping your comfort and your health top of mind.

That’s why we were so interested in the Core-flex^® technology, created right here in Canada.

Most back pain and discomfort is caused by the inability of our body to move naturally. The ultimate solution is to re-engage postural support muscles by providing natural motion to the legs, pelvis, and core. When the core muscles are engaged through motion, the back is in a healthier posture. Research also shows that movement is important for thinking and creativity, spinal fitness, and the maintenance of a healthy metabolism.

With LIFEFORM^®’s Core-flex^® unique split seat design, the motion of the alternating sides stimulates natural movement. This “dynamic sitting” increases circulation in the largest muscles of the body, especially in those we sit on. Sitting with one leg slightly lower than the other off-weights the opposite ischia, or tail bone.

Improving the working lives of the people in your organization is a wise investment. There are numerous benefits that quality ergonomic office chairs bring to your bottom line and the future health and productivity of your workforce. Please contact our Customer Service representatives, who will be happy to offer help or advice on the types of ergonomic chair or posture supports we offer.