Ease the Strain: Prof. Szeto's Perspective on Work-Related Pain
If you are interested in K-pop, K-dramas, physiotherapists in Disneyland, “chicken-wing posture” for surgeons and tips on posture, then read on.
Many individuals find themselves glued to their screens for hours on end.
The consequence?
Neck and shoulder pain, commonly associated with poor posture and work-related injuries.
In this episode of the Expert Series, we sat down, in our best posture, with Professor Grace Szeto, an expert in the field of physiotherapy, to discuss how small adjustments in our habits can lead to significant improvements in our well-being.
Technology & Workplace Health
With over two decades of experience in teaching and researching work-related musculoskeletal disorders, Prof. Szeto sheds light on the intricate relationship between modern technology & physical well-being.
Our workstations tend to keep us fixed in certain positions for long periods of time. For e.g., some jobs require sitting and staring at a screen for hours which results in a hunched position. Others, like surgeons, require standing with ones hands suspended halfway between up and down, or what Prof. Szeto refers to as the “chicken-wing posture”.
We come away from both such workstations with muscle aches and pains which gradually compile into more serious musculoskeletal disorders.
As a physiotherapist, Prof. Szeto realised that while she could alleviate patients' pain through treatment, it was a short lived solution. The pain would return if their work habits were not improved. This realisation drove her to study and research ergonomics in hopes of educating patients on how to improve their work setups and maintain good posture.
But, how do you intervene if the person you’re trying to help doesn’t know they need it?
An interesting observation that Dr. Szeto reports is how cultural differences affect the way injuries are reported. Workers in Western countries are more open to being researched and more likely to report work-related injuries. Workers in Asian communities, however, tend to accept pain as an outcome of work and are less likely to report an injury. They are also more skeptical of being monitored or questioned for research, for the fear of being found “unproductive” by their bosses, and consequently fired.
Prof. Szeto says increasing awareness of the importance of addressing work-related musculoskeletal disorders is key to have more people seek treatment for pain.
Cultural Influences on Injury Reporting and Treatment Seeking
Prof. Szeto encourages individuals to take active breaks and incorporate stretching exercises.
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Become aware of your posture.
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Consider standing desks if you sit too long
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Staring at your screen for hours? Consider forward head stretches.
These small changes can lead to significant improvements in our well-being, especially where most interactions nowadays are through a mobile device.
She also introduces wearable sensors and biofeedback devices which she believes help combat neck and shoulder pain due to prolonged device use.
Hear about this and more on our episode, "The Power of Posture: Physiotherapy Insights for Workplace Health '', on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcast and anywhere else you catch your podcasts!
Move your Body: Posture Awareness and Active Breaks
Ease the Strain: Prof. Szeto's Perspective on Work-Related Pain
If you are interested in K-pop, K-dramas, physiotherapists in Disneyland, “chicken-wing posture” for surgeons and tips on posture, then read on.
Many individuals find themselves glued to their screens for hours on end.
The consequence?
Neck and shoulder pain, commonly associated with poor posture and work-related injuries.
In this episode of the Expert Series, we sat down, in our best posture, with Professor Grace Szeto, an expert in the field of physiotherapy, to discuss how small adjustments in our habits can lead to significant improvements in our well-being.
Technology & Workplace Health
With over two decades of experience in teaching and researching work-related musculoskeletal disorders, Prof. Szeto sheds light on the intricate relationship between modern technology & physical well-being.
Our workstations tend to keep us fixed in certain positions for long periods of time. For e.g., some jobs require sitting and staring at a screen for hours which results in a hunched position. Others, like surgeons, require standing with ones hands suspended halfway between up and down, or what Prof. Szeto refers to as the “chicken-wing posture”.
We come away from both such workstations with muscle aches and pains which gradually compile into more serious musculoskeletal disorders.
As a physiotherapist, Prof. Szeto realised that while she could alleviate patients' pain through treatment, it was a short lived solution. The pain would return if their work habits were not improved. This realisation drove her to study and research ergonomics in hopes of educating patients on how to improve their work setups and maintain good posture.
But, how do you intervene if the person you’re trying to help doesn’t know they need it?
For the PREMUS, WDPI & MYOPAIN 2023 Conference Prof Szeto will be hosting a virtual symposium with Tessy Luger, Pascal Madeleine, & Alberto Marcos Heredia-Rizo.
The symposium is on “Active breaks, biofeedback, and exercise training as workplace interventions for WRMSD”.
Register for conference here!