Alberta’s WCB unveils booklet, posters designed to educate employees about back pain
Alberta’s Workers’ Compensation Board doesn’t want workers to take back pain lying down.
The WCB has prepared a variety of resources to educate employees to the fact that activity and exercise is one of the best treatments for back pain.
It has produced a booklet, back pain posters and even a calendar to get the word out.
The booklet
Back to Basics: A Guide to Good Back Health is an 11-page booklet that features information on good posture, maintaining good back health and dealing with pain.
For example, it offers the following advice to workers on sitting properly:
Poor sitting posture is a potential problem for many of us. Poor seated posture can cause the pelvis to tilt, flattening the lower back, causing pain and discomfort.
•Supporting your feet is crucial—use a foot rest if your feet don’t touch the floor, angle the rest if you’re wearing high heels
•Keep your ankles in front (forward) of the knee—this helps keep your balance equal, and assists circulation in the legs
•Don’t rest your feet on the spokes of the chair
•Keep a three-finger gap between the back of your knee and the edge of the chair’s seat
•Knees should be at or below your hip level
•Ensure your lower back is supported in the chair; your lumbar support should rest just above the location of your hipbones when seated
•Keep your upper back supported by sitting up straight
The booklet can be downloaded as a PDF for free at www.wcb.ab.ca/pdfs/public/back_basics.pdf
The posters
The WCB has produced nine posters to encourage employees to stay active to help prevent and heal back pain. The posters feature taglines such as “Break your back habits,” “Walk away from back pain,” and “Don’t call in stiff.”
Here’s a sample of the posters available.
The posters, and additional material, can be downloaded for free at www.backactive.ca/resources.html.
