Rotimi Kareem, a doctor of Physical Therapy/Lifestyle Medicine at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), on Wednesday urged health workers to always maintain good postures to enhance their health.
Kareem delivered a lecture titled, “Postural Challenges: Barrier to Productive and Active Service Life’’ , organised by LUTH.
Our correspondent reports that the lecture is the first in the series of lectures to celebrate LUTH at 60.
The therapist noted that the complications and consequences of poor postures were detrimental to the wellbeing of health personnel.
He identified some of them as: low back pain, increased disability among workers, spinal joint dysfunction, degenerative joint diseases and pot belly among others.
He said: “Our active life today is public service, our body must align or respond well to the force of gravity.
“We must imbibe the culture of repositioning ourselves well, when we are not well positioned and when we carry out our various duties.
“Posture is everything about our life as humans whether we are sitting, standing or sleeping because they all reflect different postures.
“The benefits of good posture helps to reduce risk of joint pain, stress reduction, it enhances confidence among others.
“It is important that as we care for others, we should also care for ourselves, so that we will not fall victim of the same sickness our patients are going through,” he said.
Prof. Chris Bode, the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, said the lecture was very paramount to the wellbeing of staff members.
Bode, represented by Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, said it was very vital for health workers to be fit to carry out their duties effectively.
“If you are not fit, you cannot take care of your patients, we care about our staff, that is why we came up with this first lecture which has to do with our health,” he said.
“More lectures that will be of help to our personnel will come up in the course of the LUTH@60 celebration,” he said.