Aging is an interesting process. We get wiser, more confident in who we are, more competent in our chosen line of work and hobbies, and overall settle in to our way of life.
There is also another phenomenon that occurs. Most people as they age experience an onset of aches and pains. It isn’t something that just happens overnight. It happens via an insidious gradient, little by little until one day it registers as discomfort or pain.
Then with life going 100 miles per hour, we ignore this non-optimum condition with hopes of it disappearing, or simply acquiescing and justify it by assuming it is just “aging”.
Let me pose this question: Do you feel discomfort or pain on your body? Many readers will answer “yes” to this question. After your “personal pain audit” you may have discovered something not optimum in your low back, neck and shoulders, dull headache, wrist or forearms.
I have asked people “Why do you put up with this discomfort?” Many answer “I guess it is just me aging” and most don’t know it is possible to get rid of it.
I can go on a major rant right now on how poorly served we are by a society that has never taught us how to manage our own pain and discomfort, instead directing us to see prescriptions and surgeons. But I will refrain!
The cycle of a typical sprain/strain injury event is fatigue (a muscle or joint tiring from sustained postures, repetitive stress, etc.), discomfort, pain and then if unattended to, the injury.
We have been dedicated, for 25 years, to teaching employees and management how to self manage their own health. It is so simple to do! Cumulative micro-trauma is the cause of most sprain/strains. The discomfort that you earlier detected on your body is stored micro trauma.
For most of us, all we have to do are 3 things to alleviate it or even permanently get rid of it.
- Isolate the cause—what postures or repetitive activity is the primary cause.
- Change the physical behaviors that are causing it (lifting, pushing, pulling incorrectly, sitting incorrectly, keyboard, mouse, monitor in incorrect positions, etc.)
- Relieve aches and pains with the correct stretches using the correct technique in the correct order.
We have discovered that much musculoskeletal discomfort and pain is preventable. Backsafe® is our training workshops that teaches employees in just 2 hours how to do physical work on and off the job and teaches simple yet powerful stretches that rid the body of that pent up discomfort creeping in on their lifestyles. This pent up discomfort left unattended can accumulate to a point that causes the $50,000 claim and lost work time. Finally a workable solution to back and shoulder claims, right!!
Sittingsafe® is our office ergonomic training program that teaches people how to sit correctly and how to adjust their existing workstations so not to cause pain and discomfort; and the Sittingsafe stretches are almost too good to be true! Headaches, neck and shoulder pain, low back pain have disappeared by just knowing what stretch to do to relieve it, combined with correcting the exacerbating sitting and working positions.
In summary, aging doesn’t have to be accompanied by pain and discomfort. We don’t need pain medications to live our lives. The body is a miraculous contrivance. It heals well if given the chance.
We teach people what we all should have learned years ago—How to self manage musculoskeletal discomfort; how to prevent painful injuries; and how to stay away from pain medications and unnecessary surgeries.
Contact us (800.775.225) to discuss how we can help put your employees more in charge of their own health. It is a win-win. Employees not in pain and windfall savings for the company.
Dennis Downing, CEO
Future Industrial Technologies, Inc.
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