Life West faculty member and principal investigator, Dale Johnson, DC, and his research team at Life Chiropractic College West have initiated a case series examining the effectiveness of combining ergonomics and chiropractic intervention for the management of musculoskeletal disorders in knowledge workers.
One common example of a knowledge worker is a person engaging in work-related tasks involving heavy computer use. Their jobs involve being seated for long periods of time, using a mouse, typing documents, entering data to spreadsheets and answering calls. Common physical complaints can include chronic low back pain, wrist pain, tension in the upper back and neck pain.
Every year in the United States, billions are lost due to missed workdays stemming from preventable, work-related injuries. Left unattended, these can result in expensive medical conditions and workers' compensation costs for the employer as well as dramatically lower quality and quantity of worker output.
Dr. Johnson states, "The impact of the study can potentially affect public policy and provide support for the inclusion of ergonomic systems for a sustainable, highly productive work environment".
Enrolled subjects will receive a customized ergonomic upgrade of their work environments combined with a 16-week period of chiropractic care. The investigation seeks to determine the safety, effectiveness and tolerability of the combined ergonomic-chiropractic intervention. Benefits to subjects may include reduced pain and discomfort, increased productivity and overall improvement in functional health.
Those interested in either gathering more information or providing much-needed support for this research project can reach Dr. Johnson at (510) 780-4500 Ext. 2363.
Source: Life Chiropractic College West
