??? A good day

[Sheffphysio]

A good day.

I’ve recently moved into the Occupational Health Field working for an NHS trust looking at bringing down the sick leave of the staff due to pain. I’ve never had much to do with ergonomics and movement and handling training before so when I came into contact with it I was pretty surprised.

How people are taught to sit, bend, lift etc goes against what I see as sensible and what we now know about pain and the brain. On induction to the trust we have lectures about how discs prolapsed (really cool pictures with them), how to suck our belly in when we lift (I’m not joking) and how to maintain lumbar neutral in sitting and generally all of the time. The “school of fear” I like to call it.

After gently having a few conversations with the movement and handling team I was asked to give a pain lecture to a few advisors at the trust. This was mainly neurophysiology based and how the brain responds to threat. It was an attempt at a gentle de-bunks of some myths. It went down really well, and I was asked to give the talk at a regional “back care” conference for movement and handling. Again this seemed to go well and I’ve just been asked to speak about it at National conference!!! Ahh!! I’m not a natural public speaker but the chance to get this stuff out there is too good to pass.

I’ve also been really encouraged that the training team at my hospital want to change what they teach and start to embrace the ectoderm! An optimistic day after a few pessimistic weeks.

[amacs]

The first two paragraphs make me want to quit

thank goodness for the next two and way to go! Sounds like someone in your trust is prepared to listen and at least consider change.

Which conference are you speaking at?

regards

ANdy

p.s. I off your direction in couple of weeks staying in Wakefield.

[Sheffphysio]

ANdy,

I work in wakefield. If you're around during the week i'll take you for a coffee.

And i think it is the 2012 movement and handling conference, not sure on location yet.

My talk to regional conference was just after the chap from a company called "Posture Right" spoke. I had to appologise to him for what i was about to say.

[amacs]

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that one ...

I'll drop you an PM

regards

ANdy

[Ken Jakalski]

Hi Dave!

My talk to regional conference was just after the chap from a company called "Posture Right" spoke. I had to appologise to him for what i was about to say.

I can relate to this situation. I've spoken at clinics where the director has asked me to "go easy" on material that would challenge conventional thinking on training and mechanics.

[Sheffphysio]

Which links to what Diane posted about a belief only needs to be held by 10% of the people before it spreads.

How to change culture is really interesting, I’ve no idea if it can be done. It’s something I’m working on within our trust at the minute...... with good days and bad. The biggest hurdle I am facing is legislation. I say to our movement and handling team "why are you telling everyone to bend with a straight back" they reply "We are legally required too"........ How do I come back on that!

I need to delve a little bit more into the legality of it all.

[amacs]

Originally Posted by Sheffphysio

Which links to what Diane posted about a belief only needs to be held by 10% of the people before it spreads.

How to change culture is really interesting, I’ve no idea if it can be done. It’s something I’m working on within our trust at the minute...... with good days and bad. The biggest hurdle I am facing is legislation. I say to our movement and handling team "why are you telling everyone to bend with a straight back" they reply "We are legally required too"........ How do I come back on that!

I need to delve a little bit more into the legality of it all.

It would be very interesting though if cultural change came through something like moving and handling rather than more "mainstream" aspects fo the profession. Bit like getting Al Capone for tax evasion maybe?

I say to our movement and handling team "why are you telling everyone to bend with a straight back" they reply "We are legally required too"........ How do I come back on that!

Is that what the legislation actually sys or is that how they see the need for safe practice to be interpreted?

ANdy

[Sheffphysio]

[/QUOTE]
Is that what the legislation actually sys or is that how they see the need for safe practice to be interpreted?

ANdy[/QUOTE]


Good question. I assume that it is their interpretation, which has become a belief by big powerful people who get in positions of responsibility and teach.......

However there are National Guidelines which they have to follow which do look at spinal posture. I need to look into this some more, as it’s getting to me. All day I see long term pain patients who are nursing staff that cannot, will not and do not flex their back. It’s getting to me.

[zimney3pt]

Dave, great to hear the good things your doing.

I too work with occupational injuries primarily and deal with trying to change some "posture" and "correct lifting" dogmas that are prevalent in most work places.

I was encouraged when I went to an ergo conference in the area that was presented by an engineer in ergonomics and he shared that he was actually moving items that used to be close to a worker a little further away just to make them get up and walk and move more as compared to keeping them confined to small space.