As an Occupational Therapist I am often asked to perform ergonomic evaluations for office workers to promote better overall posture, reduce repetitive strain injuries and improve overall functional performance. But what can you do when your office is the community? As a home care healthcare worker, you must to adapt to multiple environments, negotiate various surface heights and care for patients with different degrees of independence.  Here are some tips you can use to protect your body when your “office” can be anywhere.

1.  Take care of yourself

• Make time for regular exercise
• Strengthen your core muscle group and lower back
• Wear comfortable, rubber soled shoes that provide support, a strong foundation, and prevent slipping

2.  Use good body mechanics to avoid injury and/or repetitive strain injuries.

Standing:

• Keep your feet flat on the floor, hip width apart for a wide base of support
• Keep your back straight, while maintaining it’s natural curves

Lifting:

• Keep your feet apart and your back straight
• Lower your body to get close to the object/person
• Bend from your hips and knees (DO NOT bend at the waist)
• When turning, rotate your entire body, not just your back
• Lift using your arm and leg muscles, keeping your knees bent and your back straight (DO NOT use your back muscles)
• If the weight is excessive, request assistance or use assistive equipment such as a patient lifter, hydraulic lift chair, transfer bench, sliding boards, etc.

Pushing or pulling:

• Use the weight of your body to help push or pull an object
• Use the appropriate body mechanics (as explained above under “Lifting”)

Reaching:

• Stand directly in front of and close to the object
• Avoid twisting or stretching
• Maintain good balance and a firm base of support

Sitting:

• Whenever possible, sit on a hard chair with a straight back
• Support your lower back whenever possible
• Keep your trunk extended (with your abdominals and lower back strong)
• Keep your shoulders retracted (pulled back)
• If doing something like using a computer or jotting down notes, put a pillow on your lap to raise the items closer to you to help keep your back straight

3.  Handling patients, and common medical devices such as blood pressure cuffs, syringes, and laptop computers can lead to common and painful hand injuries (e.g., tendonitis, sprains, carpal tunnel, DeQuervain’s)

• Maintain a comfortable neutral wrist position
• Do not rest your palms or bend wrists markedly down or inward while typing
• Do not turn your wrist towards your little finger (ulnar deviation) or towards your thumb (radial deviation)

Take preventative measures as much as possible. Chronic pain can be a barrier to productive outcomes and can lead to unwanted downtime. In the end, our patients (and others in our lives) need us in optimal physical condition. And we need to remember to take care of ourselves!

Gerard Mounic, Manager
Rehab Centers of Excellence
Visiting Nurse Service of New York