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I've got a crook back.
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SIT UP STRAIGHT
A few years ago,
after one of my CrookBack Clinics someone sent me this cartoon drawn by one of
their children. I reckon it just about says it all.
If tight calf,
hamstring and buttock muscles won't let you sit up straight you're in big
strife.
I'll give you an
example.
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This simple test will let you know whether people have
tight calves and hamstrings.
If they can't sit close in close to the wall you know
they're tight. They'll drag their pelvis backwards. The 'S' shaped curve
of the spine will turn into a 'C' shape. They won't be able to sit up straight at their desk. Sooner or
later they'll experience back, neck and shoulder pain. |
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If buttock muscles are too tight people will fall over backwards when in
this position.
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If people can't get their elbows, wrists and fingers
comfortably against the wall, or they can't put their head against the
wall without looking up at the ceiling, you know they have tight calf,
hamstring and buttock muscles. Coupled with weak muscles and you know
they're setting themselves up for serious pain in the neck, shoulders
and arms. |
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If people can't do a sit up you know the muscles designed to keep pelvis
and vertebrae in correct alignment are falling down on the job. |
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If people can't do a pressup you know that their arms and shoulders
can't put up with the strain of holding their arms out all day typing. |
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If people can't squat down and then lift themselves back into a standing
position you know that the big muscles of the legs are letting the
musculo-skeletal ecosystem down. They compensate by getting the back to
do the heavy lifting that it's not designed to do. Sooner or later it
packs up. |
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The result of all
this tightness and weakness is the crook back, stiff neck, 'cold'
shoulder and limp wrist. If they slap the claim form on your desk send it back.
It's not your problem.
Of course, if
you're going to take this course of action, you'll have to have in place a very
good musculo-skeletal risk management strategy.
I believe a good
place to start this strategy is the
CrookBack Clinic.
My advice to
organisations is to put in train measures to ensure that these dysfunctions don't
occur and if they do, not to let them become dressed up as work-related
injuries. That's what the Occupational Health Fitness and Wellbeing Firewall is
all about.
I can show you how to put the firewall in place
to reduce your organisation's risk of musculo-skeletal dysfunction.
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Here's what
the CrookBack Clinic does for
your staff
They'll learn
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what are the
main causes of back, neck, shoulder and arm dysfunction, in
particular RSI and the inappropriately named OOS |
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how to make the
distinction between an injury and a dysfunction - this will
impact on who's going to get the blame! |
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the two main
principles underscoring successful musculo-skeletal rehab |
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how to measure
the risk of getting a crook back, stiff neck, sore shoulders
and painful arms |
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how to protect and/or rehabilitate
themselves from back and neck dysfunction using the
CrookBack conditioning program |
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how Formula One
Rehabilitation speeds up the rehabilitation process |
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how to protect themselves with a good
ergonomic set-up at work and at home |
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how to relax and
loosen up from the inside |
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which foods and
supplements they need to eat more of and which foods they need
to steer clear of |
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why the rub down, crunch, hot pad,
electric shock and a Celebrex tablet are
unsatisfactory treatments |
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that taking pain-killing and
anti-inflammatory tablets which mask the symptoms of dysfunction are
poor substitutes for the exercises
they need to do to get themselves back into alignment |
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how to detect whether the treatment they've
been prescribed is the right treatment |
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how posture affects
how they feel and vice versa |
MOST IMPORTANTLY,
they'll learn some of the key exercises
they need to do on a regular and systematic basis to get their bodies back in
alignment. Do that and they'll feel better.
PLUS: the CrookBack Clinic now includes a
desk assessment
- setting the desk and the chair up so people are sitting up straight.
(The secret; the back of the chair must be
pressing in up under the shoulder blades and the abdomen pressing into the
desk.)
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In the post junk-medical age it's 'patient
heal thyself'. By the time people have been through the CrookBack
Clinic and a desk assessment they'll be in a good position
to know what to do to get themselves back into good shape. They don't need a PhD in
rocket, medical or pharmaceutical science.
There's no smoke, no mirrors; no
lotions, potions, pills or powders; no syrups, strappings or surgery; no
crunches or cremes; no rub downs or electric shocks; no money spend on weekly trips to the
therapist - just people finding a bit of
time each week (if they're serious, every day) to do the exercises which will get
their body back into alignment.
The good news is that after a CrookBack Clinic participants will willingly agree
to spend 10 minutes a day, in work's time, to do a few strength and flexibility
exercises.
Those at grave risk (to themselves and your workers compensation premiums) will
agree to attending a couple of 40 minute strength and flexibility sessions a
week until they're back in good nick.
Like a copy of the exercises?
Send me an email
or phone (0424) 391749
HOW IT WORKS
I come to your organisation and conduct 4 CrookBack Clinics a day, each of 1.75 hours. I can see between 80 and 100 people a day, taking them through a crook
back proofing program.
I measure their risk. You can
view the
assessments on this link.
And as well as a focus on the lower back, I teach people how to avoid neck,
shoulder, arm and wrist pain by introducing them to a simple set of strength and
flexibility exercises.
AUDIT REPORT
Equally important is the audit report I prepare for you. Here are a few graphs
from a report. Good scores are on the right hand side of each graph.
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Not good. Too many
people already experiencing musculo-skeletal pain. Bodies are
weak, tight and out of alignment. |
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Too many
people can hardly do a sit up. A score of 7/10 is 17 situps in 30
seconds. A score of 3/10 is only 7 situps. Hard to keep your vertebrae in
reasonable alignment if abdominal and back strength are missing in
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Most of the people in
the graph couldn't do 17 pressups in 30 seconds. They're setting
themselves up for shoulder, arm and wrist pain. Can't blame the mouse
when you can't do 20 or so pressups! |
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A key factor
in the poor condition is tightness of calves, hamstring and buttock
muscles. People down the left hand end of the graph couldn't touch their
toes their bodies are so tight. |
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My report provides
organisations with an audit of risk to their workers compensation arrangements
and recommendations about what they can do to put a firewall between the
personally generated dysfunctions and the genuine work-related injuries.
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Here's what some of
the people who have attended have said about some of the CrookBack
Clinics I've conducted for corporate organisations.
I
attended the session on Wednesday and I reckon your holistic
approach to health management is great.
This systemic approach to the minor problems I had in relation to my
back really demonstrates how important it is to focus on the whole
body.
I found the session really beneficial. Well done.
D oug
Great stuff, thanks very much for your emails, I really
appreciate the exercises and stretches which are working
well. I use them often at my sedentary job and in my
build up to riding the Great Vic Bike Ride this year, my
second year.
Cheers, Reg
Just a small note to let
you know I have been following your stretching routines
that you showed us at Puckapunyal - mainly the ones for
hamstring and hip and I have noticed a big difference
specially in my walking and squatting exercise.
Bob
I attended the Crook back
seminar yesterday afternoon and wanted to report that it
was fantastic. I found the time to be very beneficial
and hopefully I will be able to remember all the
exercises for the future. Thank you for providing this
seminar.
Maree
Just a quick note to give
you some feedback and let you know that the seminar was
great! Informative and practical and very suited to the
pitfalls of working in a sedentary environment. I think
more people would benefit from attending it, it
certainly identified a few areas for me to work on and
John gave us useful tips and exercises to address those
issues.
Helen
I've recently attended your
crook back seminar Friday fortnight ago at the Tax
Office in Moonee Ponds.
The exercises I learnt during the session which I'd been
doing religiously since have helped enormously. In
fact I got to 70-80% fit back and pain free. I
would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for showing me
the path to getting healthier and more importantly
motivating me in achieving it.
Tekin
In response to the positive
feedback received from people who attended the
Relaxation and Crook Back seminars conducted during
WorkSafe Week John Miller will be returning for an
encore performance, with a further two sessions.
Dale
Please keep me on your
list. I find your information useful and thought
provoking + my back is in the best condition it's every
been in.
Jenny
I just wanted to say how terrific your session was
today. Excellent tips and exercises, and even better, some pain relief
immediately.
Thank you. Jo
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The Crook Back Clinic presents people with a solid plan to get
their body back into alignment.
I'll
take them by the hand and show them exactly what to do.
I'll help
them diagnose the
cause of their dysfunction and then provide them with some of
the key exercises they need to do to get themselves back into
better alignment. Do that and there's a good chance the pain
will go away.
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If you'd like
to know more about running a series of Crookback Clinics in your
workplace, call me on (0424) 391749 or
send me an email. |
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In the mean time stay tuned, highly tuned and
remember; neither chair, nor
desk nor gel pad; nor rub downs, crunches, hot pads, electric shocks; nor things
present, nor things to come, nor powers nor principalities will prevent people from getting a crook back,
stiff neck, sore shoulders and a limp wrist if they can't sit up straight.
If you'd like me to send you a copy of my ebook 'Best Practice in
Occupational Health, Fitness and Wellbeing'
click here.
Regards
John Miller
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