| If you've ever wondered why your employees tear a rotator cuff turning a wrench, blow out a knee simply stepping out of a truck, injure their back just bending over to lift something, or get carpal tunnel syndrome merely hitting computer keys, the answer is cumulative trauma.
For most companies, cumulative trauma conditions are the leading cause of lost work time, lost productivity, disability, and workers' compensation costs. While it accounts for more pain and lost productivity than any other single cause, the problem itself is often hidden or goes unrecognized. You will not see it listed as a "root cause" in accident investigation reports. Many companies never recognize it or come to grips with how to effectively address it. Yet almost all strains and sprains, soft tissue, musculoskeletal, or repetitive motion type injuries that occur from normal working activities are the product of cumulative trauma.
Our bodies are mechanical systems. Each body part is designed to do certain movements or certain types of work in certain ways. Some postures give us maximum strength and power. Other postures make us less powerful and less capable of performing work. Using postures that allow gravity or other forces to gain leverage against us make our muscles work harder. The added stress increases the compressive load on that body part and ultimately the amount of wear and tear. In addition, certain postures actually damage that body part when performing work from that posture. For example, bending the wrist when typing or turning wrenches.
Working from these stressful or weakened body postures repetitively causes small amounts of damage called micro trauma. The micro trauma that develops from these working techniques is initially hidden and causes no pain or other symptoms at all. As the damage to, muscle, bone, joint, and nerve slowly accumulates it eventually cause aches and pains as well as numbness and tingling.
As the damage worsens our bodies become more susceptible to injury. Damaged and weakened body parts cannot handle the same physical stress as a strong and healthy body part. As a result back strains, herniated discs, pinched nerves, rotator cuff tears, tendonitis, bursitis, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, and even degenerative arthritis can occur. Often times the injury occurs performing the same routine tasks your employees have been doing for years without issue.
Looking at the specific task being performed at the time a strain and sprain injury occurs can be a waste of time and effort without considering cumulative trauma. While the task may have contributed to the injury it is often simply the straw that breaks the camel's back. Instead, be proactive. Evaluate the impact of cumulative trauma across your organization before you have another injury. And yes, investigate every injury and take appropriate corrective actions based on your findings. Just realize that failing to consider cumulative trauma and its effect on your workforce will keep you from taking meaningful steps to prevent future strain and sprain injuries.
RESOURCE
For more information about reducing strains and sprains, soft tissue, musculoskeletal, or overexertion injuries or reinforcement strategies, training in ergonomics, cumulative trauma, and body mechanics please go to www.ergo-power.com.
This article was provided by Bobby Greene, CSP of Business Health Resources, LLC and the Ergo-Power® Program. Business Health Resources, LLC is a consulting firm specializing in strain and sprain injury reduction and prevention.
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