This week is National Back Care Week

BACK AND NECK PAIN ARE ONE OF THE MOST COMMON WORK RELATED CONDITIONS IN JERSEY

• According to the UKs Health and Safety Executive, muscle, bone and joint disorders are the most common cause of occupational ill health in Great Britain
• In the UK, according to charity’ Backcare’, back pain accounts for half of all chronic pain and is the leading cause of sickness absence from work.  Every day it costs the NHS £1.3 million, the UK government £13 million in benefits and, with the daily loss to the UK economy of £37 million, totals a staggering £97 billion per year.
• Back and neck pain and injury are also rated amongst the most common reasons in Jersey for absence from work. In 2013 over 54,000 days’ allowances were paid out in Short Term Incapacity (STIA) for back pain alone.  These figures have increased by 5,000 since 2011. Back pain is also the second highest reason for people claiming Long Term Incapacity Allowance (LTIA) in the Island (depression being the first)*.

You need to be aware of your posture and moderate the time you stay sitting in front of your screen.

• Stretch or move at least every half hour.
• You need to have a good sitting posture and take a lunch break away from your desk.
• If you spend a lot of time on the telephone, consider a headset to allow you to get up and move about when on a call.
• ‘Movement, Moderation and Mindfulness’ – Early intervention or, better still prevention, through simple movement, stretching and exercise techniques can make all the difference.

   

Useful info relating to back care:

• The States of Jersey General Guide to Health and Safety in the Workplace
• Back Care (the charity for healthy backs) leaflet exercises for a better back
• Back Care exercises for office workers
• Back Care what to do when back pain strikes