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Health, Fitness and Wellbeing Results

45. 2021_March 1BA

John Miller conducted the Musculo-skeletal Health Seminar for The Group in March 2021.

25 participants (14 women and 11 men) completed the

- Health, Fitness and Wellbeing profile.

- Specific Joint Assessment

- Musculo-skeletal Risk profile.

The results are presented in graphic format, with commentary.

Health, Fitness and Wellbeing Profile

The Health, Fitness and Wellbeing profile provides people with a very good idea of how well the various systems of the body are functioning, particularly the

• the mind

• autonomic nervous system

• immune system

• digestive system

• circulatory system

• elimination system

• musculo-skeletal system.

On this profile a good score is a low score.

	Symptom	None		Not much			A fair bit			A lot
1.	Headaches including migraines	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
2.	Lack of energy and vitality	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
3.	Candida - jock itch, thrush, tinea ...	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
4.	Poor sleep. If on tablets score 10	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
5.	Snoring &/or sleep apnoea. Score 10 if using a mask	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
6.	Crook back, stiff neck, sore shoulders, dicky knee RSI ...	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
7.	Frequent colds, flu, sinus	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
8.	Unsettled stomach, reflux (Score 10 if on medication)	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
9.	Overweight - 1 point for every 2Kg	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
10.	Irritable bowel, constipation	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11.	Asthma	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
12.	Low level of aerobic fitness	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
13.	Chest pain, palpitations	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
14.	Rashes, itchiness, skin outbreaks, psoriasis ...	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
15.	Mouth ulcers, cold sores	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
16.	Elevated blood pressure. Score 0 on pills	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
17.	Elevated blood cholesterol. Score o if on pills	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
18.	Elevated blood glucose. Score 0 if on medication	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
19.	Shakes, nervous ticks, mannerisms	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
20.	Grinding teeth	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
21.	Alcoholic drinks per day (2 pts/drink)	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
22.	Smoking. (1 pt/cigarette/day)	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
23.	Caffeine (1 pt/cup per day)	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
24.	Anxious about life, insecure, apprehensive	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
25.	Sad or depressed (On medication, score 0)	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
26.	In wrong job for now	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
27.	Under-appreciated at work	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
28.	Have poor work/life balance	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
29.	Unhappy with family life	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
30.	Unhappy with financial status	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

Score

The score of a normal, fit and healthy human being is less than 20. An acceptable score is less than 40. Higher scores are symptomatic of dysfunction of one or more body systems. People with low levels of fitness and high levels of stress usually score well over 100.

For people with a score of more than 80, the ‘background noise’ of their life is becoming louder and louder. It is hard to concentrate on your work when body systems are dysfunctional. We know a fit and healthy group when we see the majority of scores below 40. This was not the case with this group.

By and large higher scores are usually a reflection of

• low levels of fitness

• an inability to deal with what life and work are serving up to people.

Remember, it is not what happens, but how we deal with what happens that determines our level of stress.

Classification of average scores: Excellent - less than 20. Good - 21 - 39 Fair 41 - 59. Poor - over 60.

This profile is described as fair average quality amongst the groups we survey. The average score was 65. Anyone scoring more than 80 is putting up with a lot of 'background noise'.

Health Climate Survey Analysis

Based on scores received in the Health, Fitness and Wellbeing profile we've ranked the scores and highlighted those items that recorded 20% and over.

Symptoms/ issues / concerns	% of people scoring 5 or more	No. of people scoring 10
Musculo-skeletal dysfunction	56
Poor sleep	40
Overweight	40	1
Under appreciated at work	36	3
Lack of Energy	32
Snoring, sleep apnoea	32
Low level of fitness	32
Anxious	28	1
Wrong job	28
Work-life balance	28	1
Headaches	24
Smoking	20
Unhappy family life	20
Stressed financial status	16
Shortness of breath from asthma	12
Chest pain, palpitations	12
Elevated blood pressure	12
Elevated cholesterol	12
High alcohol intake	12	1
Caffeine	12
Depressed	12	2
Candida	8
Reflux, unsettled stomach	8
Irritable bowel, constipation etc	8
Itchy, rashes, psoriasis	8
Mouth ulcers	8
Shakes, nervous mannerisms	8
Grinding teeth	8
Frequent colds, flu, sinus	4
Elevated glucose	4

Musculo-skeletal health dysfunction topped the list with 56% of participants scoring 5 or more on the survey. Whilst this result may be peculiar to the group who attended, I doubt it. Joint and muscle pain is endemic in our workplaces for both indoor and outdoor staff.

The seriousness of the problem can't be overlooked. Poor musculo-skeletal health as a clear and present danger to the organisations workers compensation arrangements.

The results on the Joint Condition and Musculo-skeletal Risk Assessment profiles need careful scrutiny and follow up work (including X-ray) with people suffering from acute dysfunction. (See the Workplace Accident Insurance Blue Print.

I recommend that for people in very poor musculo-skeletal condition that they take part in a one hour Pro-Active Rehab session each day until their condition improves. This is a small price to pay for improved joint and muscle function.

A high percentage of people (28%) indicated they may have been in the wrong job. Worse still, 24% said they were under-appreciated at work. There is no reason why people should feel under-appreciated at work. Compared with other groups this is a poor result. People deserve to be appreciated.

40% of people didn't sleep well, were overweight and had a low level of fitness. This is not a good sign for their current or future metabolic and/or mental health.

Musculo-skeletal Risk factor Profile

The Ten Point Musculo-skeletal Health Risk Screen profile looked at a range of parameters including mobility, strength and flexibility and whether people are training to keep themselves strong and flexible. The musculo-skeletal risk factor profile is comprised of a mix of 7 objective and 3 subjective assessments.

	Current musculo-skeletal condition
	Closeness to ideal weight
	leg strength
	front of body - abdominal, quadriceps and hip flexor - strength test
	Upper body - arms and shoulders - strength test
	Hamstring flexibility as measured by an ability to reach forward to past one's toes
	Buttock flexibility as measured by an ability to sit up straight with legs crossed
	Shoulder function
	Strength training behaviour
	Flexibility training behaviour

A score of 70% is attainable by those who have a regular and systematic training program. Those scoring less than 70 are not doing sufficient in the way of strength and flexibility exercises. They are therefore exposing themselves to a high risk of musculo-skeletal dysfunction. (It would be bizarre for a workplace to offer to pay the rehabilitation costs of people who were not keeping themselves strong enough or flexible enough to do their job without succumbing to musculo-skeletal dysfunction, wouldn't it?)

A good score on this profile is a high score.


	This is fair result. In a corporate setting we'd recommend that those scoring less the 6 attend a Pro-Active Rehab program 3 times a week until their condition improves.	40% of people were more than 10Kg over weight. Half of those were 20Kg over weight. Being over-weight is a sure sign of poor metabolic health. It also correlates highly and positively with poor musculo-skeletal health.

	40% of staff lacked adequate leg strength - or had hip or knee problems.	40% of staff lacked adequate front of body strength - quadriceps, abdominals and hip flexors. The strength of the abdominal muscles plays a key role in lifting.

	Upper body strength was good. only 3 people lacked good arm and shoulder strength. One of the best predictors of risk of lower back pain is the ability to do pressups.	30% of people couldn't touch their toes. Lower back pain goes hand in hand with poor hamstring flexibility.

	40% couldn't sit up straight with legs crossed and hands clasped behind their back, without falling over. A major cause of lower back pain is tight buttock muscles. This is a high risk group.	30% of staff had poor shoulder function.

Only 7 people had a good strength training program. Only 4 people had a good flexibility training program. No wonder so many people are in poor musculo-skeletal health. It's usually the case that few people have a regular strength and flexibility program. The group needs to put in train a regular and systematic training program, on site, that includes 1. specialist prehab and rehab sessions for those at serious risk and those already dysfunctional and on compo 2. daily strength and flexibility sessions in the workplace for everyone.
Average score: 55. This is one of the poorer scores that we have seen. People scoring less than 40 pose a grave risk to themselves and their organisation's workers compensation arrangements.

Recommendations

Measure risk and Manage Risk

There is an epidemic of personally-generated musculo-skeletal dysfunction in our workplaces.

Most organisations neither measure the risk nor manage it.

Their workers compensation insurer doesn't measure the risk either. They don't rate premiums against individual risk. They don't have skin in the game. They are escrow agents. They spend your money on (expensive) treatments without out your approval. If they spend money on rehabilitation - over and above what you paid in premiums - they'll charge you more next year.

We recommend the Organisation take seriously and monitor carefully the incidence of personally-generated musculo-skeletal dysfunction and put in place an organisation-wide strategy to improve strength, flexibility and mobility. By far and away a high proportion of people do not have a strength and flexibility program. As a result they are getting weaker and tighter by the week, thereby exposing themselves and the organisation to risk of an incident that 'tips them over' the joint and muscle pain edge. The incident becomes a workplace accident.

A high proportion of people said they would willingly agree to take part in a daily exercise program to improve their musculo-skeletal health.

A high proportion of people said they'd take part in a prehab program.

When push comes to shove and people become dysfunctional, it will be the Organisation that ends up paying the high cost of an avoidable musculo-skeletal complaint. In our opinion musculo-skeletal dysfunction caused by lack of a regular and systematic strength and flexibility program cannot be classified as an injury.

Responsibility for musculo-skeletal dysfunction needs to be sheeted home to individual employees, though it’s unlikely to happen without the establishment of a culture within the Organisation that supports, values and understands the importance of staff keeping themselves strong and flexible.

We recommend a range of strength and flexibility classes that are readily available Australia-wide:

•	Posture and Flexibility
•	Yoga
•	Global Back Care Clinic
•	Tai Chi
•	Pilates

The Organisation would place itself in the forefront of workplace health and safety practice if it took the musculo-skeletal risk seriously and moved heaven and earth to educate all staff about this risk and obligated them to take part in a regular strength and flexibility program.

Maybe The Organisation and its worker's compensation insurer could invest in a pilot program to increase staff strength and flexibility! The lack of strength and flexibility training coupled with poor abdominal strength, upper body strength, flexibility and shoulder function is a cause for concern and needs the attention of individual staff and managers.

Prehab and rehab classes

We strongly recommend that the people who are in current poor musculo-skeletal condition and who lack abdominal strength, upper body strength, flexibility, shoulder function and functional mobility, in particular those who - who failed to attain the bronze award - be obligated to attend regular, in-house strength and flexibility classes. The pressure on the organisation's workers' compensation costs is such that to do otherwise would, in our opinion be to abrogate a responsibility for the prudent management of the organisation's finances.

Prehab and rehab classes

We strongly recommend that the people who are in current poor musculo-skeletal condition and who lack abdominal strength, upper body strength, flexibility, shoulder function and functional mobility, in particular those who - who failed to attain the bronze award - be obligated to attend regular, in-house strength and flexibility classes. The pressure on the organisation's workers' compensation costs is such that to do otherwise would, in our opinion be to abrogate a responsibility for the prudent management of the organisation's finances.

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John Miller

29/3/21

Miller Health

7 Salvado Place Stirling ACT 2611

(02) 6288 7703