• Ergonomic Evaluations for Individuals and Corporations

    ***See the Physical Therapy tab for PT and Ergonomics Products I personally use and often recommend for injury prevention, posture and ergonomics support.

  • Preventative Ergonomics Intervention saves individuals years of suffering in pain and saves companies millions of dollars in worker's compensation claims. 

    The cost of not investing in ergonomic care can far outweigh the preventative costs of ergonomic intervention, as illustrated below:

  • Costs of Ergonomic Injuries: Direct vs Indirect costs

    Workplace injury costs can really add up and significantly impact a company's budget. Direct costs include medical bills and worker's compensation payments for diagnostics, physician appointments, PT appointments and in some cases even transportation. Indirect costs would include employee missed days, lost productivity and reduced efficiency in hiring and training new workers.  
     
    In 2014, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration's advocated for using ergonomics in the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders on their website as follows:
     
    "Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a leading cause of pain, suffering, and disability in American workplaces.
     
    Statement of Need: OSHA estimates that work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the United States account for over 600,000 injuries and illnesses (34 percent of all lost workdays reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These disorders now account for one out of every three dollars spent on workers' compensation. It is estimated that employers spend as much as $20 billion a year on direct costs for MSD-related workers' compensation, and up to five times that much for indirect costs, such as those associated with hiring and training replacement workers. In addition to these monetary effects, MSDs often impose a substantial personal toll on affected workers who can no longer work or perform simple personal tasks like buttoning their clothes or brushing their hair."

  • Safety Pays

    Many ergonomic interventions identified by OSHA cost less than $100.
     
    Here, OSHA has documented several real life examples of employers around the country who have employed ergonomic interventions and the corresponding significantly reduced rate of injury.  It is also estimated here how many thousands of dollars were saved as a result:
     
     
    To further illustrate the financial impact, OSHA's website has broken down average direct costs of musculoskeletal worker's compensation claims as follows:
     
    Injury Type                                                                    Average Direct Cost
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome                                              $30,000
    Contusion                                                                   $27,042
    Crushing                                                                          $56,557
    Dislocation                                                                      $73,800
    Fracture                                                                           $48,492
    Hernia                                                                              $22,548
    Inflammation                                                                  $35,007
    Multiple Injuries, both physical and psychological   $125,115
    Multiple Injuries, physical only                                     $76,532
    Rupture                                                                            $76,430
    Sprain                                                                               $28,866
    Strain                                                                                $33,528
     
    These figures were obtained from: 

  • Benefits of Ergonomics

    1. Higher Productivity: Workers who spend more time concentrating on their work, rather than their pain, have higher efficiency rates.
     
    2. Higher Quality of work: Workers who do not experience pain and fatigue produce better results.  If a worker has pain or frustration in performing a certain task, corners may be cut. 
     
    3. Improves Employee Engagement: Employees notice when their employer makes an effort to meet them half way and help them perform their job tasks in a sustainable, safe and comfortable manner.  This can help increase employee loyalty and work performance.
     
    4. Injury Prevention: Employees appreciate being comfortably able to do their job without their job tasks being a health hazard.  Injury prevention is important for job satisfaction, employee retention and morale, as well as creating a culture of safety at work.  Furthermore, prevention of one injury will prevent a snowball effect of further injuries that may occur due to compensation.
     
    5. Cost Reduction: As explained above, it is far more costly not to have an ergonomics program in a place of business than to have one.  Below is an illustration of what this can mean in terms of real numbers.

  • Nina's Ergonomics Experience

  • Nina Goradia PT RYT SEP CEAS has been practicing physical therapy for over 16 years in the outpatient orthopedic and worker's compensation settings.  She graduated from Indiana University in Physical therapy in 2002, completed her Yoga Teacher Training in 2006 and then obtained her CEAS (Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist) through Back School of Atlanta in 2007.

    She has been performing ergonomic evaluations for companies in both Indiana and the San Francisco Bay area since 2007.  She has worked as a PT in worker's compensation for over 10 years and now enjoys working on preventing injuries in the first place through her ergonomics work.  She has additional pain management certifications in Somatic Experiencing (3 years completed in 2014) and Graston Technique (since 2003).  References can be provided upon request.  

  • Ergonomic Services Offered:

  • Standard Ergonomic Evaluation

    Your work station will be custom arranged for you. I will take several measurements including desk, chair and computer height as well as monitor distance. These measurements will be used to arrive at the correct recommendations for adjustments and equipment you may need. I will assess over 40 parameters, including if your chair fits your dimensions. I will show you how to reduce strain and pressure to your back, neck and wrists through adjusting your posture, chair and desk. As many adjustments as possible will be made on the spot in practical ways.  I will also show you basic stretches for maintenance.

  • Ergonomic Consultation with Preventative Exercise Program

    If you're interested in a general consultation for how your company can prevent worker injuries and save thousands of dollars in worker's compensation claims, I can tour your facility to provide general recommendations for employee postural and exercise education, equipment or logistical modifications for general processes to avoid repetitive stress injuries, and to observe employees during work tasks to assess injury risk. 

    I will provide the same exercises I use with my physical therapy patients to counteract prolonged postures and alleviate repetitive stress/strain.  This preventative daily exercise program is individualized for specific job tasks.

  • Vehicle Ergonomic Evaluation

    We spend more time in our vehicles than we realize.  The seat pan of a car is tipped backwards in order to lower our height.  While this is a great accommodation to fit tall people into cars, what ends up happening is our knees are now higher than our hips.  This reduces the natural inward curve of our low backs, which then throws our head and shoulders forward.  The domino effect continues with neck strain, causing impingement in our necks, shoulders, and arms.  Repetitive movements while in a prolonged poor position cause inflammation and strain.

    Why not get set up in the correct position and with the right equipment to prevent the strain on your back, neck, and arms that driving causes?  An ergonomic evaluation prevents and reduces the strain that adds up with prolonged sitting.  Book a 30 minute Vehicle Ergonomic Evaluation on the online calendar and we will meet you at the office parking lot. 

  • Schedule an ergonomic evaluation today:

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    *Please Fill Out Forms Under the Forms Tab detailing your needs.  We will contact you when we receive them to schedule a complimentary phone consultation to further discuss your needs.
      
     
    Serving the greater Indianapolis area. 
    Please inquire for more distant locations.

  • Contact & Hours:

    • Nina offers Online Individual Coaching Sessions for Somatic Experiencing as well as Somatic Self-Inquiry & Integration.™  Please read the entire Contact Page to learn about our services before contacting us.
    • In the future, we will have a self-guided online course available.  Please subscribe to be notified when it is available.
    • Our email address is: thesomaticpt@protonmail.com

  • Address:

    • This is currently an Online Coaching Practice, which is in the Eastern Time Zone (EDT) in the US (New York Time). 
    • *Coaching is not psychotherapy and it does not treat mental disorders.  If a mental disorder is suspected, you will be given a referral for a mental health professional.
    • *We will be off from September 7th to 16th and will reply to emails and client forms received on September 17th.