Tag: Work Space

Physiotherapy Helps Postural Problems

Postural problems have always been a problem; they are even worse in the modern workplace. Too many times people have to reach for their computer mouse, putting them in unnatural positions. There is help for both kinds of postural problems in physiotherapy.

Posture is the way one stands, sits, or walks. It can refer to any normal position that the body usually holds. When the shoulders are hunched forward or the arm is extended in an awkward position, these are postural problems. They can lead to muscle and joint pain, headaches, and other unpleasant symptoms.

Some postural problems are caused because a person has pain in one part of her body. She might count on other muscles to do the work of the ones that hurt. This could lead to an unbalanced or awkward posture. It could cause more pain in the long run.

Postural problems can be treated with physiotherapy such as heat, massage, exercises, and chiropractic manipulation. The first order of business is to reduce the pain. Patients with postural problems usually go in to the doctor with painful symptoms. Heat can be used to ease sore muscles that have been holding the body in unfamiliar poses.

Next, postural problems can be treated by an attempt to reverse the affect the awkward positions have had on the muscles. This can be done by massage. The muscles that are tightened because of poor carriage of the body can be worked until they are less tender.

Some muscles may have contracted, or shortened, due to postural problems. Other muscles which oppose them might have lengthened and weakened. It is necessary to stretch the shortened muscles before trying to strengthen, or tighten, the longer muscles. Physiotherapy exercises have been invented for just this purpose.

Anyone who works with a mouse that is not close enough to their keyboard is prone to postural problems. The first step is to make a better arrangement of the work space. Then, exercises can correct the neck, shoulder, and wrist problems that have resulted from postural problems.

Surgeries, like the Carpal tunnel surgery, are the last resort, as physiotherapy can take care of most of these postural problems before such drastic measures are needed. If one wants to avoid surgery, getting physiotherapy early on is a key. Then, with adequate rearrangement of the workplace, the surgery should never be needed at all.

Chiropractic doctors practice physiotherapy techniques to put the body back into alignment after postural problems occur. They can do manipulations to help the patient regain full range of motion. They can also work on the muscles to ease tension there.

Postural problems are common for people of all ages. They can all find help for these aches and pains. A strict regimen of physiotherapy, along with a restructuring of the work and other environments, can be a positive influence on postural problems. With the right physiotherapist, these patients will be able to sit and stand comfortably again. They will not be defined by their postural problems.

Dehumidifier Size

If you are in the market for a dehumidifier you will want to make sure you get the correct dehumidifier size to effectively decrease the moisture in your home or work space.

Dehumidifiers decrease the moisture in your home that comes from the humidity outdoors when windows and doors are opened, cooking, showering or bathing, and using your clothes dryer. This moisture can get trapped in areas that have little or no ventilation, like your basement.

A dehumidifier works almost exactly like your air conditioning unit works. Warm, moist air is drawn into the unit and is passed over refrigerated coils. The warm moisture condenses on the cold coils much like when you leave a cold can of pop outside and soon see condensation on the outside of the can.

The condensation drips down and is collected in a tank or bucket. If it is collected in a tank, that tank is probably connected to a drain hose that can be drained into a floor drain of your basement. If it is collected in a bucket you will need to be the one to empty it. Usually once every twenty-four hours.

If you know the square footage of your basement then you will not have to measure. If you don’t know the square footage then you need to find your tape measure and measure length by width and then do the math. This is the exact square footage of your basement.

Determining the square footage of your basement will dictate the dehumidifier size you need to buy. It is also advisable that if you choose a dehumidifier with a range of square footage that you choose one at the upper end of the range. If you should buy one that is too small for the area then you will risk burning up the unit in short order because it will not be able to handle the area.

Once the dehumidifier gets the moisture level down to the setting you choose and program into it it should not run continuously, it should cycle on and off. The first couple of days though it may run continuously as it works to control the level of humidity. It also may run more when the humidity outside is higher because then more moisture is coming into the house.

When you bring your dehumidifier home, read the instruction manual carefully and place it in the middle of the area that needs it. Be sure to check on the level in the bucket every few hours so it does not ever flow. Some units will automatically shut off when the bucket is full so you may not have to worry about overflow like on older units.

Depending on how much moisture the area has will also determine the dehumidifier size. A moderately moist environment about 1500 square feet will require around a 30 pint per hour removal rate. An area that is wetter than that may need a larger unit that will take 70 pints, or more, of moisture out of the air.

A good rule of thumb is that if you need to remove moisture from the air of three or more rooms it would be a better idea to invest in a whole house dehumidifier.