Back pain is one of the most common ailments people suffer with. It is estimated that over 80% of us will suffer with lower back pain at some point during their lives.
An estimated 10 million work days were lost in 2014 due to back pain, resulting in a loss of earnings of over £1 Billion. Unfortunately this number is on the rise (there were 7.7 million workdays lost in 2013). The last 2 years of statistics have not been release but we can have a good guess about which direction they have gone.
Can these effects be reversed?
Another thing we hear all the time is ‘there’s probably nothing that can be done”. Well the good news is, for the majority of cases you are able to reverse these effects and become pain free again.
As back pain is a chronic condition that has often been present for a significant period of time it doesn’t usually disappear overnight. However, if you commit to simple changes, you will start to see improvements. The key is committing to these changes and this starts with the simplest of changes i.e. making sure your desk or workspace is set up correctly. Ensure your computer screen is at the correct height; your chair is adjusted correctly in relation to your desk and your keyboard is in the correct position. This doesn’t just apply to your work environment. Take the next 2 days and whenever you are looking at something in your hands whether that’s a piece of technology or a book, think about the position of your head. If it is tilting forward, try to adjust your position so your head is in a neutral position to reduce the forces on your body.
What if I’m not getting any pain at the moment?
If you are one of the lucky ones whose back is in perfect working order, then we would urge you to keep it that way and think about preventing future problems.
Here are a couple of our top tips to keep you free of back pain or start your journey to become that way:
- Have your desk/workspace correctly set up with everything positioned correctly
- Keep a good posture for as much of the days as you can
- Take regular breaks from your computer screen, at least every hour
- Exercises/stretches
- Keep hydrated
