Ergonomic Assessment

The way we sit, stand and walk is so habitual that most of us are unaware of how we are using our body. But what is good posture and why is it so important? Posture is the position in which we hold our bodies while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture is as important as eating right, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep.

Benefits of a good posture:

• Your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints and ligaments can work correctly. This reduces wear and tear of joints and relieves stress, improving health and enhancing your appearance.
• Your vital organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency. Good posture also contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system.
• Increased self-confidence, with one study revealing that people adopting good posture not only display greater confidence but have a stronger belief in their own abilities.

We offer ergonomic assessments:

Ergonomics is the science devoted to optimising human performance by matching the machine to the person; the goal is to maximise work output and product quality while minimising the health hazards to the worker.

An ergonomic assessment – assesses the area that you are working in and the task that you carry out, relative to your personal abilities. The aim of the assessment is to identify and analyse any risk factors which may be causing current or future health problems, or may be reducing your performance.

We offer presentations:

We can tailor a bespoke presentation to your requirements or select from our range, for example: “How to move and be healthier” – this is a general overview of how your body works, what you inadvertently do on a daily basis that stops it working well and what you can to do help yourself.

We are currently developing a presentation specifically looking at our sitting posture as this is a huge area of concern, especially for children and young adults, as we become increasingly sedentary as a nation.

Areas of assessment/interest:

• Offices / work place
• School teachers
• Children
• Driving positions
• Laptops
• Tablet devices / hand held gaming stations / phones

Our principle assessor, Karen Robinson, is a registered osteopath with over 20 year’s experience and an established clinic in Shefford. Over the years she has treated many people with conditions related to poor work posture and habits and has come to appreciate that poor personal knowledge about posture and lack of training in the work place are key factors that need addressing.

In 2007 she completed her Display Screen Equipment Advanced Key Assessor Course with Osteopaths for Industry and in 2011/2012 she completed Ergonomics for Osteopaths and Advanced Ergonomics courses with the Institute of Ergonomics and Human factors.

She has worked with large companies such as Jordan’s and Ryvita Ltd providing training courses for both their factory and office staff and has recently started working with infant and nursery school staff working with them to help improve their posture at work.

Our team headed by Karen looks forward to working with you to help improve your awareness of how you are using your body, leading you to improved health and wellbeing.