Protecting Your Health: Expert Tips For Alleviating Work-Related Aches And Pains (NAPSA)—Lower back pain, a stiff neck, sore wrists and eye strain are not uncommon for the millions of Americans with jobs that require them to sit at a desk, spend a great deal of time on the telephone or stare at a computer screen all day. In fact, a new nationwide survey has revealed that more than 70 percent of these workers have experienced aches and pains that can be attributed to their work environment. The survey, commissioned by RCA and conducted by Harris Interactive, revealed that nearly three-fourths of office workers (74 percent) said your screen,” advises Genzel. “In the home, consider using technologies that can assist you with multi-tasking, like the Cell Docking System I have from RCA. Instead of pinning yourcell phone or your landline phone to your shoulder while you cook dinner or . : pain (38 percent), yet only a minor- ity actually employ somesort of remedy—such as a headsetfor their phone (18 percent) or adjustable anti-glare screen for their monitor (15 percent)—to assist with alleviating their troubles. cause neck strain, you can use the hands-free speakerphone or optional headset to talk comfortably. And because the system allows you to switch back and forth between your cell phone and landline, you can avoid juggling calls from several phones ringing at they experience some kind of ail- ment directly as a result of their work. It’s All About Prevention A key step of avoiding workplace pains is prevention, and there are many tools that can be used to alleviate pains often experienced in the workplace. Oddly enough, the Harris Interactive survey revealed that two of the most common ailments experienced by office workers are eye strain (46 percent) and neck load the dishwasher, which can Most workplace aches and pains can be avoidedwitha little care. Tips for Reducing That Old Pain in the Neck To reduce the occurrence and uncomfortable symptoms of workrelated pains, Richard Genzel, Director of Physical Therapy at MedAlert Industrial, recom- mends to his patients that they consider both their work and home environments. “To avoid eye and neck strain in the office, adjust your computer screen so that it is directly in front of you. The top of the screen should be at eye level. You do not want to be looking down toward once.” Other tips Genzel recommends to his patients: Use a fully adjustable ergonomic desk chair with arm rests. Get up and walk around at least every hour. With frequent keyboarding/ mousing, perform wrist stretches intermittently throughout day and consider a wrist support for both your keyboard and mousepad. For more tips on avoiding workplace aches and pains, please visit the American Physical Therapy Association Web site at www.apta.org. For more informa- tion about the RCA Cell Docking System or other RCA products, please visit www.rca.com. Harris Interactive online survey for RCA conducted Oct. 5-7, 2005 among a nationwide sample of 794 U.S. adults (18+) employed in an office setting. The data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population and sampling error is plus or minus 5.3 percentage points.
