How to banish WORK ACHES & PAINS
The way we work is affecting our health. Nine out of 10 office workers suffer with ailments ranging from back pain to joint and circulatory issues. Hannah Ebelthite searches for practical solutions
TACKLING PHYSICAL SIDE EFFECTS
CLOSE YOUR EYES AND TAKE A MOMENT to scan your body mentally from head to toe. Are there areas of tension, aches or pain? If so, could they be related to how you sit, stand, move (or don’t move) at work? The statistics say it’s highly likely.
According to a recent survey, more than nine in 10 UK office employees experience poor health due to the way they work. Back in October, a life-size model of ‘The Work Colleague of the Future’ hit headlines. This terrifyingly hunched, haggard-looking woman nicknamed Emma was developed by behaviour expert William Higham in order to demonstrate how our bodies could end up looking. With swollen limbs, varicose veins, sore joints, a curved spine and pot belly, she represents a frightening example of why we need to take action.
Hopefully you don’t see yourself in Emma, but you’re probably no stranger to some of her symptoms. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) – those that affect the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints and nerves – tend to involve pain, stiffness and cause limited movement. Naturally, they can affect your ability to work and live well at any age.
‘Poor MSD health affects all industries and business sectors,’ says Rob Kelly, a senior occupational health physiotherapist at Connect Health, an independent provider of MSD physio across the NHS and UK businesses. ‘You’re just as much at risk if you’re deskbound as you are if you work in manufacturing or construction.’
Indeed, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Labour Force Survey showed work-related MSDs such as back, shoulder and knee pain affected nearly half a million people last year, with 6.9 million working days lost as a result of them. They account for 37% of all work-related ill health.
‘We spend so much time at work that it makes sense to look after our physical wellbeing while we’re there,’ says Rob. ‘And that means managing our activity levels outside of work, as well as the specifics of our working environment, posture and movements on the job. Every job and environment is different, yet the vast majority of issues develop as a result of not moving enough, regardless of the industry you work in.’
DESK-BASED WORKERS
The main issues
Most of us use computers, laptops a
