If you want to get strong, you know you need to go to the gym.
If you want to write a book, you know you need to sit in front of the computer until it’s done.
If you want to improve your golf game, you know you need to practice your swing.
The point is: we live in a cause-and-effect kind of world. Part of achieving a desired outcome is determining what will cause it to happen and then you go do that thing. And if you want to prevent something from happening, you need to determine the root cause of the outcome you’re hoping to avoid and then put measures in place to prevent that thing from happening.
Why MSDs are the most common injuries
There’s a reason I wrote about the consequences of a reactive approach to MSDs last week. It’s the same reason (the way I see it) that MSDs are the most common injuries.
Most of the time, success or failure is in the approach. A reactive approach to managing MSDs waits for an MSD to happen before doing anything about it. It ignores the causes of MSDs (or simply chooses to do nothing about them) and then deals with the effects. This approach and the mindset surrounding this approach ends in a failure.
MSD risk factors are what literally cause MSDs. A reactive approach, though, is the true cause. It’s not doing anything about MSD risk factors that is the real problem. Keep that in the back of your mind as you think about MSD risk factors.
MSD risk factors — the causes of MSDs
The work environment is a complex set of systems and the human body is a complex set of systems. MSDs happen at the intersection of these systems, and so it won’t surprise you that there are many causative risk factors that can lead to the formation of MSDs.
We break these risk factors down into two categories in order to simplify the issues at hand:
- Ergonomic Risk Factors (risk factors related to the work environment)
- Individual Risk Factors (risk factors related to the individual themselves)
A reactive approach to ergonomics and healthcare allows workplace athletes to be exposed to many risk factors:
Ergonomic risk factors:
- High task repetition
- Excessive force
- Awkward postures
- Vibration
- Contact stress
- Cold temperatures
Individual risk factors:
- Poor work practices
- Poor self-care habits
- Poor health habits
When workplace athletes are exposed to these risk factors over the course of time, it puts a tremendous amount of stress and strain on their soft tissues. An MSD is formed when this “wear and tear” outruns the workplace athlete’s normal soft tissue recovery process.
The path to prevention
The first step on the path to prevention is to choose it. You have to choose to be proactive. To focus every effort on reducing MSD risk factors and creating a culture that supports and sustains the MSD prevention process.
If you want to get strong, go to the gym.
If you want to prevent MSDs, take a proactive approach.
Stay tuned …
Soon we’re going to announce the launch of a new tool to help you on your path to prevention. Stay tuned. (If you like what’s going on in the Ergonomics Plus resource center, you’re going to love this.)
See you next week!
