Pain in the back
Jun 24 2010
Businesses are failing to recognise the problems caused by back pain at work, say doctors.
Some 75 per cent of GPs questioned say the main cause of back pain in the workplace is due to sitting with a bad posture, with a further 59 per cent attributing bad posture to employees experiencing increased stress levels, according to a survey from back support specialist Dynaspine.
Martin Haines, physiotherapist, says: ‘The back is not designed to be static, and long hours hunched over a work desk or behind the wheel of a car without the appropriate support and movement can cause musculoskeletal problems.’
According to official figures, back pain is the largest reason for sickness absence in the UK and costs the economy £7 billion a year.
Of the 200 GPs surveyed, 68 per cent agreed that a shift in focus from treatment to prevention was needed when it came to dealing with back pain. In a separate survey of more than 8,000 British consumers, half reported to have suffered with back pain at least once a month, with one-third saying their work environment was a major contributing factor.
For more information about dealing with back pain at work visit the Health and Safety Executive’s website.
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