Snap out of it
Injuries caused by lazy habits while working on computers have become a widespread problem
Technology: can’t live without it, can’t quite live pain-free with it. In this modern age, this seems to be the norm. According to Dr Grace Pui-yuk Szeto, a professor in the department of rehabilitation sciences at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, work-related musculoskeletal symptoms are such a major health issue that extensive global research has been carried out on workers in many occupations, including office workers, bus drivers, cleaners, sewing machine operators and health care professionals.
Two recent papers by Cornell University ergonomics professor Alan Hedge concluded that as US health care goes hi-tech, spurred by US$20 billion in federal stimulus incentives, the widespread adoption of electronic medical records and related digital technologies is predicted to reduce errors and lower costs – but it is also likely to significantly boost musculoskeletal injuries among doctors and nurses.
The repetitive strain injuries, says Hedge, will stem from poor office layouts and improper use of computer devices. “Many hospitals are investing heavily in new technology with almost no consideration for principles of ergonomics design for computer workplaces. We saw a similar pattern starting in the 1980s when commercial workplaces computerised, and there was an explosion of musculoskeletal injuries for more than a decade afterward.”
In one paper, Hedge asked 179 physicians about the frequency and severity of their musculoskeletal discomfort, computer use in their clinic, knowledge of ergonomics and typing skills. The most commonly reported repetitive strain injuries were neck, shoulder and upper and lower back pain – with a majority of female doctors and more than 40 per cent of male doctors reporting such ailments on at least a weekly basis. About 40 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men reported right wrist injuries at a similar frequency.
Szeto’s latest study reveals that Hong Kong surgeons have injuries “due to their static posture in the operating theatre, but part of it is due to their daily work on a computer, as well”. But it’s not only the medical profession that’s suffering, Szeto says. Those most at risk of ergonomic injuries are anybody who works in an office or uses computers.
Ergonomics expert Justine Chim, whose company, Chim’s Ergonomics and Safety Limited, has advised employees of many large Hong Kong firms in the past decade, says her team completed 661 individual ergonomics workstation assessments in the past year and that many of those employees complained of musculoskeletal symptoms.