Are your employees fit for business?

EVERYONE in the work place knows of colleagues who suffer, or perhaps they suffer themselves, from lower back pain, neck soreness and tight muscles. These can cause misery for the sufferer and through inefficiency or absenteeism, can be costly for their employers.

Will Worley in the capable hands of Pre-Hab 1st founder, Steve Meade

Luckily, an innovative, newly established local business is on hand to help. Prehab 1st, founded by Thame duo, Stephen Meade and Andre Bozon, is aimed at injury prevention, particularly in the workplace, thereby saving businesses money.

Stephen has a degree in Sports Science and is a qualified nutritionist with a sports background, and is an experienced ‘Judoka’. He noticed how minor Judo injuries would often affect his performance at work. It was this realisation, coupled with a growing awareness of the large number of people seeking treatment for what he could see were avoidable workplace related injuries, that eventually lead to the creation of Prehab 1st.

Whilst there is a range of sometimes costly therapists to treat muscle pains, it occurred to Stephen that there is no one currently going out to companies to nip any problems in the bud.

Uniquely it seems, Prehab 1st evaluates and identifies musculoskeletal imbalances of perhaps bad posture, incorrect use of equipment etc, in order to help prevent debilitating pain and injury from taking place. Once problems and causes have been identified, Prehab 1st then prescribes easy-to-do remedial exercises or activities to address the problem. All the tests Stephen carries out, and the results, are confidential and only take around 45 minutes.

Will Worley, currently gaining work experience withThame.net, caught up with Stephen for a personal demonstration of Prehab 1st ‘s methods.

Stephen has an interesting set of kit, with various rods, charts and an iPad to accurately capture the results of the exercises. The tests are designed to measure the body’s posture, biomechanics and functional movement ability. There is inevitably some jargon to contend with, but Stephen patiently explains what everything means in layman’s terms: “Think of the posture as the body of a car, the biomechanics as its engine and the functional movement as the test driving of it. If one goes out of sync, usually the others will follow,” he explains.

During the assessment, he also details which movements he will be asking me to perform. His informative and respectful style ensures we soon establish a good rapport.

The posture test is simple enough as I stand facing in various directions against a grid on a measuring chart and have my photo taken. This identifies any tilt of the shoulders for instance, or unusual spine curvature. Second is the functional movement screening, where some of the exercises I perform are squats, steps and lunges against the measured rods. Finally, the biomechanics section tests leg length (one of mine it seems is longer than the other; nothing to worry about as it’s a more common condition than is generally realised apparently), hip flexors, back health and others with simple, painless bodily positioning.

Thankfully my results are generally good, apart from a slight tightness in the right shoulder. Stephen spotted this during the first test, and it had a slight effect on the exercises further down the line. I am prescribed a simple anti-spasm exercise, for the ‘Pec Minor’ muscle, to carry out three times a day.

It’s no surprise that this is the same shoulder that gets tense from using a computer mouse at work for extended periods. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) left unchecked, can be an expensive problem for businesses, to the tune of £300 million per year, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.  Stephen explained that musculoskeletal injuries are a leading cause of workplace injuries and sick leave. Furthermore, he explained: “With the retirement age going up, the risk too is likely to go up. The screening will help employees stay good at the movements they need to do their job.”  There’s also the constant threat to employers from the market in legal action for workplace injuries. “Staff are more likely to respond better to an employer if they see they are looking after them,” claimed Stephen.

Prehab 1st believes that all employees could benefit from screening but especially those who may already be feeling niggling pain. “If you have a bit of lower back pain it could turn into a muscle tear relatively easily, from a very basic movement. You might get someone who gets off a chair, or lifts something relatively light, and injures themselves doing it.”

However, Stephen reckons that Prehab 1st ‘s promotion of a healthy office or other workplace environment will not only mitigate these risks, but also improve productivity by up to 30%.  “Any workplace environment can see long term benefits,” said Stephen. “If your posture, biomechanics and functional movement are at a good level, your breathing and strength improves, and ultimately your performance is at a better level.”

Prehab 1st wants to help businesses save money by minimising the risk of workplace related injury to their employees. Its mobile operation can go directly to any place of work to carry out the tests.  “It’s easy to make the small changes to help you on your way,” explained Stephen. “Intervention and education equals prevention.”

My experience with Prehab 1st really opened my eyes to a wide-spread, but avoidable negative aspect of fitness in the workplace, a problem that the clear, personal advice necessary for a healthier, more productive working life is available here in Thame.

Prehab 1st is currently providing free screenings to employers, and are happy to talk further about their work. Contact Stephen by email: stevemeadept@gmail.com or visit the company’s Facebook page for details: https://www.facebook.com/prehab1st?fref=ts