10 things you can do to take the pain out of back problems
By Mary Watson MCSP, SRP, Chartered Physiotherapist at PMI Health Group
Back pain. The scourge of our sedentary society and the second biggest cause of time off work in the UK. Whether you’re an HR looking after construction workers doing repetitive heavy lifting or office workers sitting slumped over VDUs for 8 hours a day, it pays to know your facts about back pain and how to mitigate its very real and long-lasting effects.
There are certain risk factors which you cannot change – if an employee is male, middle-aged and has had a previous back injury or a family history of back pain, then statistically there is a high chance of them suffering from lower back pain and very little you can do to stop it. But there are also a number of risk factors that you can mitigate with lifestyle changes and some good, common sense advice for staff.
Top tips for preventing back pain amongst the workforce
Tip 1. Complete your risk assessment in time
Particularly for high risk activities like heavy lifting, it is critical that training to educate staff on the appropriate posture for each task is carried out as soon as the employee joins.
This may sound like a fairly obvious warning but I have seen several cases where staff inductions are carried out on a rota every six weeks – plenty of time for bad habits to become entrenched and for accidents to happen. A timely occupational health audit is highly recommended.
Tip 2: Regular exercise
Staff should be encouraged to take regular exercise to help build back strength and keep weight gain at bay, another major cause of muscle imbalance and resulting back pain. But this doesn’t mean that staff have to become a slave to the gym. In fact, a just a few simple exercises every day can make a significant difference. Pilates type exercises are effective without being too high impact or strenuous and can easily be done at home.
Activities using the Swiss ball also strengthen the core stomach muscles which support the spine. Swimming is non-weight bearing so another excellent all round, low risk form of exercise.
Tip 3: Strike a pose
Sitting in exactly the same position for long periods of time can actually be worse for back pain than occasional heavy lifting. Modern work patterns are exacerbating this with, for example, working mothers often preferring to work four very long days to ‘earn’ the fifth day off each week.
There are a number of simple steps which you can take to help staff maintain good posture throughout the working day.
- Adjust the chair and position of computer screen so the arms are parallel to the keyboard and the hands do not have to tilt upwards to type. D rolls give extra lumbar support for the lower back. Click here to see right and wrong postures for sitting and driving.
- Offer foot rests to staff whose legs do not naturally rest on the floor.
- Make sure older employees who will probably be long-sighted have varifocal glasses – otherwise they risk neck spasms if they are constantly peering over their glasses to read PC screens.
- Encourage staff to use rucksacks when they are carrying laptop equipment around so the weight is evenly balanced.
- In the office, if heavy documents need to be transported around buildings, invest in a trolley.
Tip 4: Walk this way
According to recent research by the NHS, walking is one of the best ways to counteract back pain. But it is absolutely critical that the right footwear is worn. Staff who have fallen foot arches and those who over-pronate (an inward roll of the foot) can be susceptible to back pain. Bespoke insoles are a very affordable solution that can quickly re-educate muscles and rectify posture.
Recent advances in podiatry have also produced more high-tech ‘wobbleboard’ technology, such as that use in the Fit Flops. These force a pronounced heel/toe movement which keeps the back well aligned. BUPA wellness centres have also recently introduced technology which can assess back problems from someone’s gait. When someone walks on the mat, it transmits the impulses to a programme which works out if the knee or back pain is due to the way they are walking.
Tip 5: Sweet dreams
A sagging mattress can be a common culprit of back problems, so remind your staff to check theirs out. Although many people prefer softer mattresses, they do not support the spine sufficiently. Recent developments in memory foam mean that a happy compromise is now possible with a firm mattress combined with a soft topper. Using too many pillows is another common cause of upper back misalignment. The head should lie flat with the body, so one pillow is usually enough.
Tip 6: Heed the early warning signs
There may be occasions when staff can choose to ignore signs of impending trouble, creating much more serious complications and longer term absence further down the line. Let you staff know the NHS’s ‘Red Flag’ back pain signs to look out (click here for a summary you can share with your staff).
Tip 7: Support mind as well as body
I’ve often seen people get ‘trapped’ in back pain. They want to stop the pain but need psychological help as well as physiotherapy to help them work through the problem. Group therapy can be very powerful here – Backcare is a national charity which organises support groups across the UK.
Having access to empathetic counsellors on a staff health helpline, such as those provided under Employee Assistance Programmes, can also help employees to feel supported and valued and can be used to give them coping strategies. If you are considering taking out an EAP, check to see if they have a back specialist that staff can contact for advice.
Tip 8: Help them to help themselves
There is a wealth of help and advice on the internet on preventing and living with back pain. A simple email reminder with links to relevant websites costs nothing and demonstrates your long-term commitment to employee wellbeing.
Click here to download our top tips to preventing and dealing with back pain which you can share with your staff.
Tip 9: Stay in touch
All the research shows that the longer someone is off work with back pain, the less likely they are to go back. It is therefore critical that you stay in regular contact with your employees during their sickness absence to both offer support and check progress.
Get the balance right though, as too much contact will be viewed with cynicism as a thinly veiled attempt to coerce staff back into work too early. A lot of our clients use either myself or one of our nurses to maintain contact with staff. It is often easier for us to build trust and a medically qualified contact is perceived as more credible support.
Tip 10: Prepare for the return to work
There are lots of practical steps you can take to make an employee’s return to work following a prolonged period of back pain easier.
- Agree a return to work plan which aims for the employee to be back in their original full time role after a specified number or days or weeks.
- Carry out a work station assessment to identify any risks and try to look at the role with different eyes. For example, at a supermarket, can cashier staff be rotated more between left and right hand facing check outs so they alternate the repetitive stresses they are putting on their backs?
- Let them know that frequent breaks are not only acceptable but advisable during the first month back
- Find out what the barriers to returning to work are and try to minimise them. For example, one client was reluctant to return to work because she was anxious about how she would cope with jostling on an overcrowded Tube train. Reducing her hours slightly from 10am until 4pm overcame the issue.)
- Offering employees a phased return to work including some working from home and lighter duties can help to persuade them that they can cope with working again
- Ask the employee themselves where they think the stress points are
- Monitor and review after two weeks
Find out more
Find out what to do if you have an attack of back pain
Find out how to prevent back pain
Teach your staff correct posture and try out our simple back strengthening exercises
General posture advice - how to stand properly
Postural advice for VDU operators
Poor posture and shoulder pain
