Ergonomics and RMI's

I woke up today and went on a long run, and for some reason, the whole right side of my body ached. My shoulder and hip specifically just hurt. And I couldn't remember why....then memories of rows and rows of cups filled with applesauce came rushing back to me.

ISU is preparing for special Olympics. I have been helping with the prep. Yesterday I helped dish out 450 cups of applesauce and 488 cups of peaches. My right hand was being used to scoop fruit out of a can into little portion cups. I did that all morning. This explains my aching body.

To diagnosis of my pain would be Repetitive Motion Injuries (RMI's). To quote from a article by Susan Gryder "School food service work: It's intensely physical, often back-breaking work that includes heavy lifting and awkward, repeated motions, which can lead to serious --and often undiagnosed --injury." These injuries are common in food service because they have such a large production of meals, often times workers get stuck doing the same repetitive motion over and over again. This causes wear and tear of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments around joints.

Solution: Debbie Swartz an ergonomic educator gives some stretches that can be done to help relieve some of that pain.

- Finger stretches: open your hand and spread your fingers, then close your hand into a clench.
- Arm Dangles. Dangle your arms down by your sides in either a standing or a sitting position.
- Chair-Back Stretches. Lace your hands behind your head and carefully lean back over your chair backrest to stretch the front of your chest.
- Back Extension. While standing, put your hands on your hips and gently lean backwards.
- Shoulder Rolls. Roll your shoulders up and backwards and move your elbows with you shoulders to increase the effect of the stretch.
- Ear-To-Shoulder. Drop your head to the side so your ear moves toward the shoulder. Repeat in the other direction.

Doing these stretches 15 min. Before you begin work and during your breaks will greatly reduce your risk of an RMI.