Compression Gloves and the Workplace: (Hand)le with care

Are you taking care of the hands in your workplace?

The most common work disability in the United States is Arthritis. Arthritis can cause pain and usually inflammation, over time you can also lose the use of muscles in the afflicted area. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most common injury associated with computer typing.  It can lead to sore wrists and hands with sudden sharp shots of pain up the forearm.  It also plunges the productivity of your workforce, unable to type and having difficulty grasping and handling items.

The cause can be from an injury, overuse, arthritis or chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypothyroidism. It can be hard to tell if you are developing it but symptoms may include feeling tingling in the fingers and hands. Grip strength becomes weakened. Numbing or burning sensations are also indicators that there might be a problem.

If you start to have symptoms seek treatment to prevent the symptoms from getting worse. Left untreated the pain and use of your hands will only get worse. A doctor will be able to diagnose and recommend treatment.

So what does this mean for business owners?

There are many proactive ways to keep the hands of your employees safe and productive. There are ergonomic keyboards, chairs, and desks that put your employees in the perfect posture to work behind a desk all day. You can also have instructors come in and teach the proper sitting and posture positions. Today we look at the option that we have just implemented here at InsureYourCompany.com

Compression Gloves.

Compression gloves or arthritis gloves are designed to provide support with gentle compression to relieve signs and symptoms of arthritis in the hands. They offer complete coverage for hands, fingers, and wrists while still allowing the ability to operate grip and touch with fingers. Many occupational therapists recommend them to help ease pain and swelling making it easier to deal with daily activities. The gloves are designed to be worn for 8 hours and can reduce swelling, hand pain, joint stiffness, and use of hands. The outcomes vary and may not address all of your issues.

We offered these gloves to our employees giving them the choice if they wanted them or not. It was an employee suggestion that leads us to try it out. Having the best work conditions available is essential to get the max production out of your employees. Constantly talking and engaging with the workforce will bring these issues to light giving you the ability to address the situation and come up with solutions. While many business owners will overlook this small aspect having pain free hands and comfortable workspaces will increase morale and productivity.

Be sure that the gloves fit well, not too tight or too lose. Make sure that they are being worn for an extended period of time, not one hour here or there. If pain continues or increases seek out a medical professional.

There are many ways to improve your workspace. We just handed out the gloves to our employees and we will update you on the results. Whatever you decide to do just remember a happy employee is a productive employee.