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At least six out of ten people will suffer back pain at some time in their lives and, with most of us spending a large proportion of our days at work, it's hardly surprising that so much work-related injury comes from abusing spines and their associated muscles and ligaments.
You would expect physically-demanding jobs, such as construction or engineering, to be the main employments where a person's back would be put under great strain but there are a wide range of careers which can result in personal injury, either if an employer has failed to provide suitable health and safety measures for employees or if workers have ignored sensible precautions to protect their own backs.
Ironically, nurses, ambulance staff and other health workers, who have to handle people either with disabilities or who are unable to help themselves, are at risk of damaging their own long-term health if they attempt to lift someone without assistance. Even regular bending while making beds can be stressful to a back if the bed is too low or difficult to reach.
With more and more jobs based around computers, people who sit down all day are turning up at doctors' and physiotherapists' clinics in greater numbers complaining of a variety of problems associated with spending long periods in awkward positions, some of which result in claims for repetitive strain injury (RSI).
Good advice from physiotherapists
As prevention is always better than cure, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy offers lots of good advice to workers in any industry whose back health may be at risk due to poor working conditions and practices. Many of these suggestions are suitable for individuals to follow but employers who have legal duties and responsibilities towards their staff should also be aware of them.
The most obvious precaution is not to lift objects which are too heavy or awkward and, if regularly handling such items is part of your job, your employer should make sure you have training to reduce any risks of injury and are fully aware of how to lift safely.
Ensure loads are manageable sizes and they are not carried further than necessary. Trolleys or similar handling equipment should be made available.
General safety precautions in industrial situations should include storing equipment within easy reach to reduce twisting or stooping, making sure floors are smooth and non-slip, lighting is adequate and that there are no obstacles in passageways. Work benches should be adjusted so that their height is level with the worker's waist, machinery needs to be maintained for maximum efficiency and all clothing should allow free movement.
A chair which is adjustable, stable, allows freedom of movement and supports the small of the back is the optimum style for someone who sits down for most of the day and, if office work is mostly on a computer, keeping to guidelines of where the machine is placed should help to ease any potential neck, back or arm problems.
Sitting properly at a computer
The computer screen and keyboard ought to be directly in front of the user so that no twisting is involved, with the operator's eyes level with the top of the screen, the keyboard about 10cm from the edge of the desk and the mouse within reach without straining. A copy holder is good for gripping documents which need to be copied or referred to at a suitable height.
If you need to make a lot of phone calls, you should use a proper headset rather than holding the receiver between your ear and shoulder, which can cause back and neck pain.
Where there are worries about equipment or working practices, employees are entitled to ask their employer for a workstation assessment to check the health and safety aspects of their working environment.
Frequent breaks from the screen will help your body not to become stiff and, as with all jobs, ensuring you eat and drink sensibly and take regular exercise, such as a brisk walk at lunchtime, will increase general health and fitness.
Whether standing or sitting, the human body is not designed to have too much strain on its back so if you want to avoid a work-related injury with the consequent suffering, possible loss of earnings and inconvenience of hurting your spine then taking care of it should pay dividends and avoid you having to call on the services of a personal injury solicitor to make a compensation claim against your employer.
