Ergonomics

1 Introduction

These days, it is common to hear complaints of back and neck pain. In fact, according to the American Chiropractic Association, approximately 31 million Americans experience low-back pain at any given time. There are various reasons for this, the most prevalent of which would be poor posture or lack of back support throughout the day. Thus the question arises, is this avoidable? What can be done to ensure that back pain becomes a less common problem in adults? A possible solution to these questions would be to ensure that proper posture is introduced at an early age. The aim of this study is to identify and discuss proper ergonomics in the classroom and attempt to rectify common causes of back pain. It is evident that furniture in schools is not ergonomically suited to promote proper posture and is a fundamental problem leading to poor posture, and consequentially back problems which may last for the remainder of the students’ life. In addition to improper furniture, heavy backpacks cause unnecessary strain on the spine and are another cause of back-pain among students. Currently, students are required to carry heavy books and material to classes, these books remain with the student for the entire school day. It should also be noted that the majority of students carry their backpacks loosely on their shoulders which moves the center of mass of the back pack to be further from the spine causing additional torque on the lumbar region. The lumbar region being the weakest portion of the spine is the source of the majority of back injuries. There is also a significant lack of education introduced at an elementary level promoting proper seating posture and other factors which relate to back injuries and the alignment of...

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