HOLE HEALTH, Jackson Hole News&Guide, Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - 17
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Lawyer Elizabeth Moore loves her versatile desk that uses an electric motor to rise or fall to the desired height. Standing — and even dancing — during a long day keeps her pain-free.
When work hurts
By Johanna Love
F
or years, after a 10- to 12-hour day working at a desk, Gary Trauner would stand up and stiffly make his way out the door, grimacing all the way. Since switching five months ago to a standing position for much of the work day, the chief operating officer at St. John’s Medical Center is in much less pain. Buying a desk with a hydraulic lift that easily switches from sitting to standing position “has made a huge difference,” Trauner says. Over the years, Trauner sought back-pain relief from across the health care spectrum: orthopedic doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists. “It’s their general consensus that sitting for long stretches at a time is not normal to the human condition,” Trauner said. Ergonomics, the science of fitting the worker to the workplace, is a complex field. When people seek the help of physical therapist Mark Schultheis, his first step is diagnosis: Where is the pain and what is causing it? He routinely sees office workers suffering from cervical headaches, numbness in the arms, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder impingements, lower-back pain, neck pain and tennis elbow. Although he works with clients who suffer injuries from improperly lifting heavy objects, “it’s the people
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Residents seek solutions to pain exacerbated by office chairs. Things to try If working in an office leaves you in agony, professional physical therapists can dial in your desk. You might consider adjusting one of the following things to get relief:
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• Keyboard height or angle • Monitor height, angle, distance from eyes • Chair height, quality • Add a footrest, telephone headset or wrist rest who sit all day that keep me in business,” Schultheis said. Making sure your desk is set up correctly for your body is the first step, Schultheis said. Another important step is making time to get up from your desk and moving around during the day. “The body is meant to move,” Schultheis said. “It’s not meant to sit in place all day and work on deadlines.” Pay attention to your body and note signs of fatigue, Schultheis said, and take a break when needed. Physical therapists like Schultheis spend much of their time talking to people about proper desk setup and even make site visits to analyze clients’ form. From screen position to chair support, mouse distance from
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Body and Soul Salon • Whiskey Barber Proceeds to benefit St. John’s Women’s Health Fund & Soroptimist
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See WORK HURTS on 22
A Good Night’s Sleep On-site lab for diagnostic testing of sleep disorders Consultation clinics with pulmonary sleep physician specialists Wyoming’s first AASM accredited sleep center
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St. John’s Medical Center 625 East Broadway 307 739 7300 tetonhospital.org/sleep
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Sleep Disorder Center 253418