For a healthy workplace

In today’s scenario, occupational-health issues are getting common amongst people of various age groups. They often complain about joint, ankle and neck pain. Occurrence of lifestyle diseases is also highly prevalent in the working class. The lifestyle of an office goercan become a huge health risk to them, if not improved in time.

Here are some regular problems that one faces at the workplace:

• Back pain, mostly due to wrong body posture, slouching and sitting for long durations without any breaks.
• Pain in wrist can be caused because of excessive typing. The same hand and finger movements can result in a tingling sensation in the wrist or a feeling of numbness in the hand, fingers and wrist.
• Weakening of musclesof arms, legs and back due to physical inactivity.
• Eyefatiguedue to overexposure to the computer screen and phones.

Craning your neck to see your monitor, hunching your shoulders to reach your keyboard or slouching in your chair during an 8-hour shift, might develop back or neck pain. The ill effects of poor posture combined with improper office ergonomics can sometimes lead to serious ailments.

Most of these problems can be simply solved by the organization and the employee by following some of the tips given below:

• Using a chair in which the height can be adjusted according to personal comfort. The chair edgesshould be soft so that they don’t cause cuts and bruises. Also the chair should provide proper lumbar support to the back to avoid lower back pain
• If you frequently talk on the phone and type or write at the same time, use a headset rather than cradling the phone between your head and neck. That can cause neck aches and headaches
• Keep your body in front of the computer, sit up straight and the top of the screen should be slightly below eye level so that the posture of the body is correct and no muscular pain is felt

With the necessary changes to your work environment one should also keep in mind some tips on maintaining a healthy body:

• Take regular breaks, every couple of hours to take a walk or stroll for stretching your legs, giving a much needed break to your eyes and hands
• Exercise regularly to keep your muscles in use and your body fit. Do Yoga or simple stretching to counter muscle pain
• Have a healthy and balanced meal to provide necessary nutrients to your body, stay hydrated, drink water constantly; it will help your body reduce the intake of junk food.
• Follow a proper sleep schedule to avoid unnecessary stress. Your body needs ample amount of rest after working constantly so do not cut down on your sleeping hours.
• Contact a doctor immediatelyif any problems or pain persists.

The article has been contributed by Ms Kanchan Naikawadi, Director, Indus Health Plus&Preventive Healthcare Specialist.