Ergonomic Evaluation with Cassandra

Why is a mobile bar owner posting about ergonomic evaluations? Keep reading to find out!

As you may know I am a retired physical therapist, and Sugar Moon Mobile Bar Co is my retirement business! I’m keeping my PT license, even though I’m retired (I worked HARD for that degree and license ya’ll!) which means I have to do CEUs. This year for my CEUs I’m enrolled in a course at CSU for Ergonomics. I was required to perform 2 ergonomic evaluations for the class. So, I thought why not offer 2 FREE ERGONOMIC EVALUATIONS to my friendors on Instagram!?? I put out a FREEBIE alert on my Sugar Moon Instagram story last week and Cassandra signed up! If you haven’t met Cassandra, let me introduce you!

Cassandra is a Registered Dietician specializing in functional dietetics and nutrition. Cassandra believes in, teaches and coaches alternative & holistic health practices with a rootcause approach to rebalance hormones and gut health. She offers functional testing and genetic testing as well. Plus she’s awesome. She works with Vidal Coaching and you can find her on IG @cassandra_realresults and @vidal_coaching.

I’m so glad she signed up for the free ergonomic evaluation! Above are photos of her workstation before the evaluation. She’s been noticing constant tension in both of her shoulders, neck and upper back, though no headaches (thank goodness!) and a couple of times per year she’s been getting nerve pain in her right arm and pinky finger. Well, I think we’ve figured out what the culprit is for those pain points! Her workstation set-up needed some adjustments:

• Keyboard position, height and type: the keyboard was on the desk surface and in the corner, which made Cassandra have to reach with her arms fully extended and at shoulder height to type. Luckily she has a keyboard tray (2 in fact!) so repositioning her keyboard was a cinch! Her keyboard is quite narrow and small for everyday continuous use; it would be fine for use with a laptop for travel or short term use <2hrs. This is the keyboard I recommend for daily use >2hrs (with a laptop or a desktop).
• Monitor position and height: the monitor was in the corner of the desk, and too far away, so we moved it out of the corner and centered over her keyboard tray. The monitor is up too high, but the height can’t be adjusted, so Cassandra is going to consider getting a monitor arm like this, or possibly a 2nd monitor.
• Mouse position and type: the mouse is technically ok. But Cassandra is petite and knowing that she’s had some nerve pain in her pinky I’ve encouraged her to get an ergonomic mouse like the one I use.
• Chair position and type: her chair is totally adorable in her charming home office, but sadly, it’s not doing her any favors. It only has one adjustment: height. The chair does not support her low back or spine and because she’s petite, the chair needs several other adjustments to suit her frame and the needs of her desk and other equipment. A chair like this will do a better job for supporting her during zoom calls and while she is actively using the keyboard and mouse. But because she is petite, a chair with adjustable seat pan depth is ideal.

By adjusting the keyboard, mouse and monitor, Cassandra’s arms were able to relax at her sides during typing and mousing, and she felt an instant improvement in tension in her neck and shoulders! With a few more modifications (and purchases!), she’ll have a totally ergonomic and PT approved workstation that will help her prevent injury and reduce pain.

I’ve also recommended that she incorporate some specific stretching into her workday routine, to prevent tension in neck, shoulders, and upper back. As well as nerve glides to keep her pinky finger happy. Below is the HEP (home exercise program) I think would help Cassandra, plus a few links to products that I personally use to manage tension in my own body, that I think would help her as well!

• 1/2 foam roller to perform the thoracic extension stretch
• Massage balls for trigger points in her upper traps and scapular area

Want to get an ergonomic evaluation of your workstation?

Reach out to me at crosbyptconsulting@hotmail.com and get scheduled for a virtual or in-person (if you’re in the Colorado Springs area) evaluation of your workstation, and start preventing injury and managing pain today.