Archive for June, 2009

This article aims to provide a rapid, practical checklist of good postural habits for people working at a desk so as to lower the risk of the many postural injuries we routinely see in clinic.

Your Seated Body

• Keep your head up, chin tucked in, shoulders relaxed
• Ensure your elbows are tucked in, your arms and hands broadly horizontal, avoid flexing or extending your wrists
• Ensure your thighs are at around 45 degrees to the top half of the body, and your feet flat on the ground – remove high heals at the desk!

Your Chair

• Edge well back in your chair, sitting tall and maintaining the slightly extended curvature of your lower back
• Adjust your backrest to support the small of your back
• Do away with armrests – which encourage slouching – and ensure that your elbows are at same height as the keyboard

Your Workstation

• Push your keyboard back from the edge of the table to give your hands and wrists the space to remain aligned
• Position your mouse as close as possible to the keyboard, and favour keyboard functions over mouse wherever possible
• Set your screen square on, and the top of it just below eye level – if you have a laptop, ensure you have a separate screen and keyboard
• Adjust your screen to remove any glare
• Have a document holder and position it as close to the screen as possible – use eyes rather than neck for reading and touchtyping
• Remove any clutter from under your desk

Managing Health during the Working Day

• No-one can maintain good posture for long – set your computer timer to remind you every hour to get up and walk about for a bit
• Use that break to do a few simple neck and shoulder movements: head forward/back, rotating right/left, ear to shoulder right/left, roll shoulders backwards and forwards, repeating each 4-6 times
• Keep a 1.5L bottle of water close to hand; sip at regular intervals aiming to finish the bottle in the day
• Leave your desk at lunch – eating and working do not mix well!

If you are looking for a good desk chair, you may want to look at the Bambach saddle seat which was designed by an Australian therapist to maintain optimal posture – but remember that the secret of good posture resides in… not remaining seated too long!

If you have any views or questions, please contact Mathieu or Peter by email or phone (01895 20 00 50). We would love to hear your feedback, and any suggestions for future topics too. You can also leave a comment on our blog here.

Most of you will have come across the news recently that NICE, the medical watchdog, has recommended that patients suffering from back pain for over 6 weeks may in future be referred by their GP for a course of manual therapy treatment (in other words referred to an osteopath) under the auspices of the NHS.

• From the Times: Complementary therapies for back pain should be on NHS, says NICE
• The Guardian: Back pain sufferers to be offered acupuncture treatment on the NHS

For some time now, we have been interested in local developments that might facilitate patient treatment by osteopaths liaising with the patient’s GP, and we have already begun initiating meetings with local GP practices.

However, the key decision-maker of change locally remains the Primary Care Trust. There are a few examples of successful referral schemes to osteopaths that have started operating in this country – for instance one set up by the local PCT in Colchester.

Our understanding is there have been several contacts between the British Osteopathic Association and the Hillingdon PCT, but that we are still at a very early stage in this dialogue.

These are early days in a process that may reshape some of the healthcare landscape in this country, which may indeed radically change not just the mainstream attitudes towards osteopathy and other complementary therapies, but more importantly the nation’s approach to health and healing too.

As osteopaths, we welcome the opportunity one day of treating patients on the NHS and of working more closely with other primary health care practitioners. We will continue to follow developments carefully, playing a proactive role where possible, and keeping our patients updated on any clear changes in policy.

Peter and I are taking a little bit of time on the side to freshen up the clinic.

Our aim is to ensure the clinic provides a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere, and that we can make best use of the space available for treatment purposes. If you have any comments or views about the waiting room or treatment room, please do let us know – we welcome your feedback!

In the transition, we apologise to any patients who might witness bare walls with holes awaiting shelving etc. and hope that you will find the finished result to your taste.

The Bridge to Health Osteopathic clinic, Uxbridge (click for directions and map) is located in Fitness First, on Uxbridge High Street (a couple of minutes walk from Uxbridge underground station. Nearest car parks are Cedars and Pavilions)