By Doris Obinna
Medical experts has called for more awareness on the benefits of maintaining good posture at all times, with emphasis on those in the medical field while at work, as most health challenges including low back pain, spine and cervical dislocation, among others are associated with bad posture.
While stressing the increasing number of younger persons down with health conditions associated with postural problems, they attributed that most cases of spine and joint pains are due to postural challenges.
Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Prof Wasiu Adeyemo, who spoke at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital’s (LUTH) 60th anniversary with the theme: “Postural Challenges and Barriers to Productive Active Service Life,” said, Nigerians and health workers should take charge of their posture in whatever position they find themselves either walking, working, sitting, and lying down.
While lamenting that Nigerians are ignorant of the need for good postures and their many benefits and implications when not observed, he said there is a need for all individuals to be fit in order to be productive at work and at home.
On his part, Assistant Director at LUTH, Dr. Rotimi Kareem, said postural challenges can lead to low quality of life; hence, the need for a dedicated postural clinic as every job has its postural hazard. “Over the years, we have observed that majority of cases at the clinic is due to postural syndrome, some which are cercal, low back pain but after assessment, the underlining is postural problems due to inadequate knowledge of postural practices.”
Kareem who is also Associate Lecturer at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, disclosed that postural challenge is a lifetime contest against forces of nature, especially gravity.
“Winning this contest by maintaining adequate muscle strength and balance will enhance our productive and active service life while losing this contest by our inability to maintain adequate muscle strength and balance will constitute a barrier to our productive and active service life.
“A good posture results from proper alignment between the muscles, ligaments, joints and our immediate environment and can lead to reducing the risk of joint, muscle pain, and stress among others.”
“There is need for individuals to always take a short break of 20 to 30 minutes from sitting for too long at work, listing top job risk factors of postural disorders among health workers to include; low back pain, spinal joint dysfunctions, degenerative joint diseases, rounded shoulder, and potbelly.
“The management of LUTH should establish a postural clinic for the assessment, management and education in LUTH and the development and implementation of standard operative procedures for healthcare workers to minimize postural challenges.”
Chizoba Igwe from the Physiotherapy Department, LUTH, said more awareness on good posture as job of health workers is very demanding.
According to her, everybody and not just health workers should be intentional about how they position themselves while performing a task at work and at home. “You know, we are seeing a lot of people at the clinic with problems around the spine and joints and it is no longer among the elderly but younger persons.
“A good posture is how individuals stabilise their body against gravity while lying, sitting, kneeling and standing relative to the immediate environment”