Dangers of putting your back into work

It might come as little surprise that back pain affects more than 80 per cent of the UK’s population, with office workers unsurprisingly among those with heightened risk of developing problems.

With musculoskeletal disorders one of the leading causes of sickness absence, the impact on the UK economy is huge – costing an estimated £15 billion annually, according to BackCare (the National Back Pain Association).

Research suggests that a third (33 per cent) of employees have taken at least one day off work in the last year due to back or neck pain – not surprising when we learn that British office workers spend the equivalent of 67 days sitting at their desk.

With this in mind, and in light of the recent awareness raising Back Pain Week, there is certainly a case for employers to encourage their staff to move around more and take regular breaks during the working day.

There are also some practical solutions; including being offered a desk assessment, ergonomic chairs or laptop stands by an employer to help reduce the level of pain experienced.

More and more of us are recognising the importance of sitting at our desk properly.

Poor posture can affect almost every part of the body, the back in particular – but it is also common to get pains in the elbow or wrist joints simply as a result of not sitting properly.

This can lead to repetitive strain injury, and hunched shoulders can also cause neck pain and even headaches.

No-one should feel they need to be confined to sitting at their desk all day at the expense of their health.

It is in employers’ interests to offer proactive help and advice to protect the health of their employees.

There are many simple things workers can do to stay active during the nine to five.

This could start with something as simple as sipping on a small glass of water and standing up to refill it each time it’s empty or walking up and down the stairs.

Tips for sitting properly at your desk:

• Make sure your head is balanced and not leaning forward.

• Ideally your forearms are parallel to the desk.

• Your screen should be approximately arm’s length from you.

• Sit back in your chair ensuring good support.

• The top of your screen should be about eye level.

• Keep your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest.

• Hips should be the same level or higher than the knees.