Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72093
Another activity that places excessive tendons enclosed in synovial sheath demands on the low back is cleaning bathrooms. Consider the small size of many hotel bathrooms, then imagine getting down on your hands and knees and cleaning around the toilets and in the tubs dozens of times each day. Modern hotel rooms are designed for economies of space and guest comfort, not for ergonomics. A housekeeping worker frequently has to bend into several awkward positions while reaching out in front of her body to scrub or clean portions of the bathroom. These awkward positions compound the biomechanical stresses experienced by the low- back musculature. Take a look at the median nerve compression 3 Flexor tendons and the median nerve in the wrist are highly susceptible to musculoskeletal overuse injury. 3D anatomy images. Copyright of Primal Pictures Ltd. www.primalpictures.com. structure and function of some of the lumbar muscles and it becomes clear why these loads can easily overwhelm the low- back structures. Muscles such as the erector spinae or multifidus carry a significant responsibility for generating force movements in the lumbar spine. These muscles don't have the cross-sectional area to generate large and powerful forces, so they must also rely on fascial tissues and ligaments to help generate the force loads of low- back movement (Image 2, page 105). You often hear the phrase "the straw that broke the camel's back"; this is clearly an appropriate idiom for how cumulative stresses build to the point of threshold. The myofascial tissues of the low back can withstand certain demands, but at a certain point these tissues fatigue and strain injury occurs to the low-back muscles. In some cases, the strain can overwhelm the body to the point where chronic tightness and muscle spasm ensue. Many of the problems that develop for housekeeping workers can be traced to poor body mechanics and inadequate understanding of body positioning during these challenging activities. In many occupations, ergonomic adjustments can be made to better accommodate the worker's body; however, housekeeping workers do not have a static workstation, and they are not likely trained in how to minimize injury on the job. Massage treatment strategies can offer substantial benefit for housekeeping workers, but low wages often prevent access to bodywork. Yet, certain types of massage can be made available that would greatly benefit the traumatic and expensive medical conditions that affect housekeeping workers. Short-duration sessions with targeted techniques would be most helpful for addressing postural and structural challenges. Techniques such as deep and specific stripping methods on the lumbar extensor muscles and quadratus lumborum can be performed in a very short period of time and produce great benefits for the cumulative mechanical stresses experienced in the lumbar region. Treatment approaches should not be limited to the low back, as the biomechanical connections throughout the torso and extremities directly affect proper low-back function. Combining massage techniques with self-care instructions on stretching, and self-massage methods that can be performed at home, can go a long way toward reducing the incidence of musculoskeletal injury in this occupational group. UPPER-EXTREMITY INJURY Statistics on musculoskeletal injury and housekeeping workers also identify a high incidence of upper-extremity injury. These injuries run the gamut from chronic tendinosis of the forearm flexor and extensor tendons to common nerve 106 massage & bodywork may/june 2012