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Ergonomic 
Seminars
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Planning a conference or continuing education program?

Sonographer ergonomics is a topic that increases registration at meetings.

According to surveys, the most sought-after topics for continuing education among health professionals are lectures on occupational injury. Sound Ergonomics addresses the incidence of occupational injury in allied health and diagnostic imaging. It is our goal to reduce the rate of occupational injury through education and training. We realize that the causes of work-related injury are multifaceted, however, work safety education in ergonomics empowers professionals with the ability to control their risk for injury. Sound Ergonomics Consultants are available for lecture and/or to provide hands-on training in ergonomics for your conference attendees. Full or half day tutorials are possible, as well as 30-minute and 50-minute lectures. Programs are CME eligible.
   
Sound Ergonomics News July/August 2009
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Well here we are in the middle of an incredible summer and I can honestly say that it's been sunny and hot here in Seattle. My apologies to you folks in the northeast suffering your own mini ice age. You see we don't often get the chance to use sunny, hot and Seattle in the same sentence around here so I have to use it whenever I can. I'm told it's a chamber of commerce rule. Most of you are probably thinking of your vacation or the barbeque this weekend or any of 100 other things that you could be doing in the warm weather. Certainly work related injuries are not top on your list. If they are, your injury is probably keeping you from enjoying yourself and it just shouldn't be that way.
In the last 2 issues, we talked about the primary areas for work related injuries for sonographers - the shoulder and neck. The main culprit is the lack of support for the abducted arm. In this issue, we're going to talk about solutions.
Too often in our haste to keep up with a busy schedule, we don't take the time to make all the adjustments we should to help prevent injury. I'm sure you have all had a time when you thought- "well, it's just a short exam, I don't really have to worry". The problem is, trauma is cumulative; even for short periods of time, scanning with an unsupported arm will lead to injury.
That's why we're asking:
    
             Is there an injury sneaking up on you?
 
Lets give the shoulder a break
Shoulder Assist For any support device to be useful it has to meet specific criteria  for the busy department.
It has to be:
  • Safe
  • Easy to use
  • One size fits all
  • Lightweight
  • Mobile
  • Maintain a small footprint
  • Full range of motion
  • Height adjustable

 

The S'Ergo Shoulder Assist was developed with all these qualities in mind. It can be used by anyone and only requires seconds to put into place.

 

The  Shoulder Assist device was invented by California physicians, Dr. William Griffin and Dr. Ralph Delgado  to address the needs of their own staff when they saw the level of injury they were suffering. The S'Ergo Shoulder Assist is a collaborative effort between Dr. Griffin, Dr. Delgado and Sound Ergonomics. It has taken more than 3 years to refine the design and today we have a device that will not only help sonographers, but aid in the prevention of shoulder injuries across many diverse industries. The S'Ergo Shoulder Assist can be used to reduce fatigue and support the arm and shoulder. It is especially useful when prolonged, static postures are required during many types of exams.
 

cushionAdaptive cushions are another way to maintain support for your shoulder. Wedges, blocks and half-rolls come in various sizes and can be positioned anywhere to support the arm.
 
 
 
 
 
 
We know that budgets may be tight in your department, but there are still ways to improve your chances of staying injury free.
Go to Sound Ergonomics for more ideas.
 
Remember!
Proper arm and shoulder support is a key element in preventing injury. 

Pop Quiz!
 
Win a Sound Ergonomics cable brace cable brace
 
Today's question: If an Ultrasound exam room is down due to loss of worker time, the loss of chargable income can be as much as $$??s per week.
 
Bet you didn't know you were worth that much! 
Answer is somewhere on our website www.soundergonomics.comHeadline
So hurry and send us your answer. We'll put all the winners in a hat and pick one winner.
  
(OK - So it's not the lottery, but you can still win a cool prize) 
Send your response to [email protected]
 
Question from last issue: According to the 2008 Symptom Survey, neck injuries ranked second highest. What was the percentage?
Answer 15%
 
Congratulations to our winner, Kate Buchman from Minnesota.