Stretching programs are often thought of as a “quick fix” to address increased rates of soft-tissue injuries. While pre-shift preparation continues to be an important component of a comprehensive safety program, there are better ways to make those few minutes more valuable to the employee and to the company. Based on our 15 years of helping companies develop best practices, here are four key principles we’d suggest considering—whether you’re looking to implement a pre-shift stretching program, or enhance an existing one:
Replace passive stretches with active/dynamic movements
In the occupational setting, there still seems to be some confusion between the terms “stretching” and “warming up”. Here’s the simplest way to differentiate: warming up actively lengthens and shortens the muscles while generating force, but stretching merely lengthens muscles in a passive state. Medical experts agree that, instead of a pre-work or workout routine, stretching should only be performed as a cool-down after performing physical activity. The research shows that passive stretching is (1) less effective than warming up in musculoskeletal injury prevention, and (2) has the potential to place less physically active participants at risk of overextension due to a tendency to go outside their range of motion. Not only does warming up arm employees with physiological preparedness for the demands of their job tasks, it is demonstrably safer and suitable for participants of all ages and levels of fitness.
Unlike passive stretching, warming up is proven to deliver numerous medical benefits, including: optimized muscle repair and recovery through increased blood circulation; greater pliability of muscles, tendons and ligaments through increased body temperature; and improved ease of joint movement by increasing synovial fluid secretion.
Another benefit of warming up properly is the effect of instant gratification. It’s a form of low-intensity exercise that effectively activates key muscle groups in a short period of time, and employees will be able to “feel” these effects immediately—just enough to provide a boost of energy, as opposed to the mild exhaustion that might be brought on by a high-intensity cardio session.
- Passive stretching
- Active Warm-Up
Make movements specific to job tasks
Think of warming up as a variation of the pre-game drills practiced in professional sports—instead of preparing athletes for competition, the main event would be an employee’s shift. In the same way that a baseball player’s routine might place greater emphasis on shoulder preparation, while a soccer player would focus more on lower body strength, an effective warm-up program should incorporate movements that mimic the ones your employees will be performing throughout the day as part of their job tasks. This helps facilitate neuromuscular recruitment by actively engaging the specific muscle groups that are likely to be subjected to repetitive stress, mitigating potential overuse injuries and improving employees’ physical conditioning.
In addition to serving as a form of pre-shift preparation, on-site exercise can also be used to help employees recover from repetitive stress. The idea behind resetting is to strengthen the muscle groups opposite to the ones that are being repetitively used, which helps maintain balance and symmetry and improves resilience to physically demanding job tasks. For example, a food processing worker who spends a good part of each shift stacking and loading pallets is likely at an increased risk of low back injury. He or she would benefit directly from the resetting component of the lower body warm-up, which serves to increase flexibility and range of motion at the hips and legs and help shift the burden off of the more fragile lumbar spine.
Preemptively establish a system for organizational support
In order for a company to maximize the time and resources they’re investing in a pre-shift exercise program, there must first be a system put in place to ensure organizational support and accountability. In the long term, consistent participation and sustainable injury reduction can only be achieved by securing buy-in at each and every level of an organization. This is best accomplished by providing effective training and communication before program roll-out, so that everyone from top-level management to facility supervisors understand their roles in the program and are given the tools to drive engagement out on the floor on a daily basis.
Supervisor buy-in can have an incredibly significant bearing on how employees engage with these programs, and often accounts for variances in program sustainability from one workgroup to another—sometimes even within the same facility. From our own observations, supervisors who were less diligent in getting equipment out and/or giving employees time to perform the warm-up were more likely to experience lower program participation and adherence within their specific workgroup. After identifying the causes behind this disparity, we developed a 1-hour “Lead, Don’t Rule” course, which is specifically aimed at helping supervisors and managers see the “bigger picture” of the benefits of warming up through behavior modeling principles.
We also provide training sessions to internal leaders in program movements, cues, and structure, which allows us to reinforce the importance of warming up prior to physical activity, as well as equipping workgroups to lead the programs on a daily basis regardless of whether or not program managers are on site.
Utilize safety committee members to track program proficiency
Proficiency is one element of warm-up program maintenance that if overlooked, inhibits the intended goal of musculoskeletal injury reduction. From a sports medicine perspective, ensuring that employees are performing the movements safely and correctly is absolutely critical. If this element is not present, all you’re left with is a group of employees gathered at the same time –which, although there’s certainly much to be said about the value of structured workplace camaraderie, does not in and of itself provide any form of physiological preparation. This is what makes certified athletic trainers ideal for implementing and maintaining warm-up programs—the ability to correct positioning in real time by coaching on proper form.
Interested in learning more about how we’re helping Fortune 500 companies evolve pre-shift stretching programs to reduce recordable injuries and improve key leading indicators? Contact BIOKINETIX to schedule a free consultation or request more information on our results and capabilities. You can also check out a short video overview of the 3-Minute Warm-Up Program that’s revolutionizing pre-shift routines across the country.
