The occurrence of CANS (Complaints of Arm, Neck, and Shoulder) has been one of the major issues in the work environment since the ’70s. It was first seen as one of the problems among office workers and was introduced in the Netherlands based on a study and was published online (https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com} which I think is worth our attention, especially those that are still in the workforce.
Complaints and problems of the arm, neck, and shoulder are I think not only prevalent in one location but it is really part of the challenges that workers around the world are facing. The article also noted that when it comes to gender, working women have a higher percentage than men of CANS than men.
The research article also indicated that the higher occurrence of neck and shoulder complaints was higher among women than among men. There were also possible reasons for these such as “ women apparently do not always perform tasks with the same physical requirements or work organization as men.”
It was also expressed by The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions that women tended to perform more repetitive work on average, whereas men were less likely to sit for prolonged periods compared to women. In addition, women are more often exposed to additional stress from unpaid work such as housekeeping and child care.
Also from the same research article, the study included different concerns to investigate and find out about the occurrence of CANS (complaints of arm, neck, and shoulder) symptoms such as:
- Workstation
- Posture of the worker during work
- Sufficiency of break time
- demands of the job
- Social support
- Job control
The respondents were computer workers and the research conclusion indicated that the most common complaints among workers are about neck and shoulder discomfort. With this study, it is implied that different factors should still be looked into by company organizations and officials to reduce or ease workers’ burden about upper body pains they experience during work hours.
I think the more we use the PC which is really inevitable, the more we can suffer these pains as we stay in the office for eight hours a day or longer. Office workers stay longer than the required man-hours due to the workload and bulk of paperwork to process. In this case, the research done has given factual information that women are more prone to neck and shoulder complaints because they are working in a sitting posture most of the time during work.
I experienced this when I was working full-time in a company for more than 22 years. With these years of working in excessive sitting, I also felt pain in my neck and shoulder especially when I do not stand even during break time to finish my workload. In my insurance company, we were tasked to finish the required work quota for the day. Processing of paperwork would pile up unless you work on them over time or sometimes not taking breaks to finish the work quota.
So these complaints are not new anymore and I think the increase in complaints is still occurring until now because of the use of computers regularly which we cannot avoid even with our personal activities involving the Internet and some other devices aside from computers.
There are ways to avoid these pains which I did not really enjoy when I was working. For example, most of the office furniture was not ergonomically designed to meet our needs during working. The tables were old and were not adjustable compared to office tables or desks which are already ergonomically designed and are procured by companies for their employees especially those who are working with computers.
Even the chairs were also not ergonomically designed so that the employee is comfortable enough sitting even for long hours during work. So what we did during my employment was to stand for a few minutes, to ease pains especially on the neck and shoulder.
Other workers complained about the chairs that were not cozy enough to sit on and developed some back pains too, among the employees. Today. Even if we sit on an ergonomic chair for long hours, we can be comfortable and at ease doing our computer-related tasks and activities.
One of the companies worth checking on is FlexiSpot. This company is already well-known for manufacturing ergonomic home office furniture, physical fitness machines and equipment, and other accessories to make our life more productive and physically fit as well. It is an advocate of wellness and wellbeing.
One of the best office furniture from this company is the Ergonomic Office Chair OC3B which is ideal for an office worker because it offers comfort and convenience as you sit on it during work hours.
It gives steady ergonomic support, with its breathable mesh back and lumbar support releases your body pressure to be able to work efficiently.
The material of the backrest gives a cool and pleasurable sitting experience without sacrificing its durability. The adjustable lifting armrest allows your arms in a comfortable and resting position with its 3-position lifting system
If you want to lay your head comfortably, this ergonomic office chair has an adjustable lifting headrest to suit your height that makes it cozy for you to take a rest during work hours. It also prevents pain in the neck.
During a long break time and you want to recline to rest your body, you can tilt the chair and lock it in a tilted position for more ease and comfort. As such, you can take a rest and nap for a few minutes to relax and regain your energy for a day’s work.
With these awesome features, I think you will also love to own one of these ergonomic chairs from FlexiSpot. You can visit the website now so that you can check on other exciting products in store for you. There are other products to choose from. It will be a pleasurable and pain-free experience when you have this ergonomic chair.
