Introduction

Employers in virtually every industry contend with musculoskeletal injuries (MSD's, CTD's, RSI, RMI's) that may become costly, recordable, and challenging to manage. In today's corporate environment, virtually every employer has or will soon have an aging workforce. Soft tissue conditions alone can be a significant problem, but add in the potential challenges of a growing, aging workforce and we have a bit more to contend with these days.

Over the last 17 years, the author and his colleagues have worked in clinical settings, in training rooms with collegiate and professional athletes, and in 210 manufacturing or service related industrial facilities, designing and implementing unique initiatives to reduce soft tissue strains and repetitive stress injuries. Listening and learning from employees in the trenches, and working with health and safety professionals, ergonomists, benefits and HR mangers, health-care professionals, and government agencies has proven essential in developing effective musculoskeletal initiatives that render positive results while being mindful of governmental rules and regulations.

Participants in this presentation shall understand the nature and causation of soft tissue disorders, while realizing cost-effective mechanisms through which to halt and reverse the process. Learn how a multitude of small to large employers have succeeded in their efforts in reducing recordable injury rates, lost time, and associated medical expenses, by implementing muscle and joint wellness and first aid programs that professional athletes and teams have known about for years.

Prior to proceeding, I would like to preface this writing with an opinion statement, that a quality ergonomics program should be the cornerstone of preventing workplace musculoskeletal injuries. The programs and initiatives discussed in this paper should be viewed as a complement to an ergonomics program.

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