Ergonomics
What is ergonomics?
How does it help employees?
The science of designing the job to fit the employee
Reduces the employee's risk for occupational injury
Tasks that cause symptoms pt. 1
repetitive movement
• inappropriate patient scheduling • lack of exam variety
bedside exams
• pushing the equipment
• setting up the patient room • overreaching
Your wrist should not radial deviate more than ___ degrees
Should not ulnar deviate more than __ degrees
15
25
**KEEP WRISTS STRAIGHT**
Outcome of treatment for WRMSD is _____
The key to prevention is ______ and _______
poor
education; ergonomics
** remember to practice proper body mechanics **
What are the risk factors/causes of WRMSD (work-related musculoskeletal disorders)? According to OSHA
repetitive motions
forceful or awkward movements
duration of pressure
overuse
poor posture/ improper positioning
excessive force and strain
vibrations
tasks that cause symptoms pt. 2
• shoulder abduction
• result of exam table height too high, chair too low
• shoulder should not be abducted more than 30 degrees
• overuse
• too many patients • not enough breaks • too much on‐call
What are the times to reach muscle fatigue for varying abduction angles @ 60, 20, 10, and 5 minutes
60 - 30 degrees
20 - 60 degrees
10 - 90 degrees
5 - 120 degrees
An important part of documentation of pathology is the accurate measurement of ________ of the organs and/or vessels involved.
Dimensions
What are the 3 most affected parts of the body for sonographers?
Neck, shoulder, & wrist
tasks that cause symptoms pt. 3
• uncomfortable positioning of limbs
• hyperextension/flexion of hand and wrist
• repetitive twisting of neck/trunk • viewing the monitor
• poor postural alignment
• keyboard access
Keep you neck in the _____ position
Flexion of the neck should be no more than __ degrees
neutral
20 degrees
** position your monitor directly in front of you @ eye level & do not share with patient **
Accurate measurements of dimensions, combined with effective imagery helps the physician determine the extent of disease and assists in?
diagnostic and treatment decisions
What are symptoms of MSD (musculoskeletal disorders)?
pain, dull ache
inflammation
swelling
deterioration of tendons & ligaments
burning/tingling
clumsiness
weakness
visual eye strain, headache, blurred vision leading to poor posture
loss of sensation/numbness
Which grip when holding the transducer is a 'DO' and which is a 'DONT'?
Which should you avoid?
'DO' - power grip
'DONT' - pinch grip
Avoid - death grip
What are 4 ways to help your trunk positioning?
• Distribute your weight evenly when standing
• Sit up straight using good postural alignment
• Use your abdominal muscles to support your trunk
• Get close to the exam table to avoid bending
Measure in how many dimensions?
Measurements must be ____ degrees to each other, but appropriate for the structure of interest
Measure length in what plane?
Measure width in what plane?
Measure AP (anterior posterior) in what plane?
3 (L x W x H)
90 degrees
Sagittal or coronal
Transverse
Any
Stages of MSD symptoms (3)
Stage 1: aching, fatigue that subside with overnight rest; work performance not affected
Stage 2: aching, fatigue that do not subside with overnight rest; symptoms occur earlier in the day; may affect job performance
Stage 3: aching, fatigue, weakness result in reduced performance in work & leisure activities; symptoms disturb sleep & may last for months or years
Conditions of WRMSD
• tendonitis & tenosynovitis • DeQuervain’s disease
• carpal tunnel
• cubital tunnel
• epicondylitis (lateral & medial) • thoracic outlet syndrome
• trigger finger
• bursitis (shoulder)
• rotator cuff injury
• spinal degeneration
• nonspecific neck, back pain
What are 5 ways to prevent MSD's?
mini breaks every 8 minutes
exercises for stretching & strengthening
adjust the equipment to your requirements before you start scanning
do not share the monitor with your patients
when bedside exams are absolutely necessary take extra care to reduce risk of injury
What are some work practices prevention?
maintain normal spinal curvature
feet flat on the floor
if standing equal weight on each foot
if sitting knees slightly lower than
hips
hips to back of seat
use abdominal muscles to support trunk
• left elbow by your side and relaxed
• head directly over shoulders and level
• use cushions for arm support
• use exam gloves with textured fingers
• height adjust exam tables and chairs
• shoulders down and relaxed
no more than 30 degrees arm
abduction
• angle adjust monitors