Preventing Back Pain at Work

Back pain is something that affects a lot of people, and it can actually be something that gets worse over time if you’re not preventing any further pain. It can be short term back pain that happens as a one off or it becomes chronic and long lasting. Did you know that back related issues can account for more than 1/3 of workers compensation claims?

Back pain doesn’t just have a major impact on the person suffering, but on businesses as well. If you’re at work and you’re sitting a lot at your job, then you want to be able to prevent any further back pain and reduce the back pain you are dealing with. Not all back pain is the same, and it’s important to understand which time of pain you’re experiencing so that you can resolve it better. There is some pain that is due to overexertion from pushing, pulling or living, and there’s other pain that is due to moving heavy weights. Either way, prevention is your best bet to stop that pain from overtaking your life. Let’s take a look at how you can do that.

You can perfect your posture. With the help of an ergonomic chair and the desking at a right height, you’ll be able to avoid slouching and improve your posture. The way in which you distribute your weight determines how much your back can take, so if you’re slouching forward, you’ll end up with quite a few lower back issues. Strengthening your core muscles can help because back pain when you sit like this is usually a response to a weak core.

Improve your lifting technique. Your workplace should offer workplace health and safety training. You should always be lifting with your legs and your core, but with your back straight. This reduces the amount of stress on your back. Managers and business owners should be ensuring a solid workplace health and safety programme and policy in place for early intervention on site, as well as an injury management program.

Avoid repetitive strain injuries. These can really sneak up on you if you’re not careful. If you have a job that involves repetitive tasks, then make sure that you’re switching assignments and alternating with heavy lifting and lighter transport tasks. This will help to evenly distribute workloads.

Ergonomics. When you’re working at a desk, making sure that you are using ergonomic equipment as this will help you to avoid arm, neck and back strain. You want to avoid spinal asymmetry as well, so using ergonomic office accessories can help to work to reduce and prevent any back pain.

Avoid sitting for too long. Getting up and moving around can really help you to keep your spine moving and supple. You want to ensure that you are able to feel like you can get from A to B around the office without straining your back or causing any pain. It’s vital that you don’t skip this step. 

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