Personal Statement: Lower Back

Back pain and the perception of pain is a common symptom with multiple causes. According to Porth (2011), at least 2/3’s of people will have one or more

Adjustable workstations are increasingly becoming a main benefit for organizations using them. When using computers at the workplace, employees typically sit down for longer periods without adjustable designed workstations. Such situations can lead to regular back injuries, stress injuries and other forms of injuries. All these injuries result in lost work time and reduced productivity. Using adjustable workstations reduces employee fatigue, makes them comfortable and helps them avoid standing or sitting in awkward postures. Adjustable designed workstations lowers the rate of suffering from tunnel syndrome injuries, which improves both employer and employee morale. This is characterized by improved productivity, reduction in employee absenteeism and minimal workplace complaints (Washington (State), 2009).

Most back pains often occur as a result of stress to the back over time mainly as a result of poor sitting postures. Though this is not the cause for all back pains, there are a few things one should consider when looking for solutions to cure or ease the back pain.

Low back pain is the second reason that Americans see their doctor, second only to colds and flu.

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of disability and work absence globally, affecting not just the individual, but also extending to families, communities and society at large. Whilst the prevalence of LBP is high, with over 70 percent of people experiencing some LBP at some point during their lives, most will resolve within a few months (Campbell et al, 2013). Problems arise when pain persists beyond the expected period of healing or when it exceeds 12 weeks in duration. An estimated 40 percent of people who present with acute LBP continue to report symptoms after 3 months and

Back pain is one of the most commonly reported health problems among working adults. One of the primary reasons

Aside from complaints of symptoms associated with common colds, complaints of backaches in adults are the most frequent ones that doctors hear. Unfortunately, for millions of people these backaches are chronic and painful conditions. Those that suffer from chronic low back pain may try numerous methods to relieve their pain without success. To successfully treat low back pain, patients should first be aware of the myths and realities of low back pain.

Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition worldwide; approximately 50-80% of adults suffer from LBP at least once during their lives [1, 2]. LBP represents a major health problem because of its prevalence, high probability of recurrence, consequences, and healthcare cost [3-6]. LBP has physical, psychological, and economic impacts on individuals. Furthermore, LBP is still the primary cause of absenteeism and disability in every industrialized society [226].

A majority of the nurses and transportation workers had a less than 5 years of experience at work. Years of experience did not seem to have a significant association with low back pain. This differed with Rahman et al. [12] who observed that job tenure along with awkward posture can cause low back pain. The prevalence of low back pain among nurses and transportation workers was analyzed in the study. The crude odds ratio of nursing reporting back pain was (OR 1.633) and transportation workers (OR 1.156). Furthermore, the association between the low back pain in the past 3 months persisted after controlling for overexertion, high demand, low control, being harassed at work, the White race, married and having more than one minor child. As the majority of the nursing workforce comprised of females, being married and having children seemed to increase the low back pain as in addition to their jobs they have to take care of house and kids. [11]. About 13.59% nurses had more than one job which could contribute to low back pain especially if the other job is also physically demanding. A majority of nurse reported low back pain, however, they did not perceive the pain as work-related. Less than 1% discussed the low back pain with their doctors. The reason could be that with intermittent pain, nurses try to take medications regularly to alleviate the pain. [10] However, medications only provide short-term relief,

Low back pain is a highly prevalent socioeconomic health issue in the world we live in today and one of the top causes of disability - affecting work performance and the overall quality of life for many. The 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study estimated that out of 289 health conditions, low back pain ranked number one in terms of disability (YLDs - Years Lived with Disability), and sixth in terms of overall burden (DALYs - Disability-Adjusted Life Years) (Lancet, 2012). It is estimated that 60% to 70% of the industrialized population will experience non-specific (most common type) low back pain in their lifetimes with a one-year prevalence of 15% to 45%, adults occurring 5% per year (Taimela, Kujala, Salminen, Viljanen, 1997, 1132-1136). Children and adolescents have a lower prevalence rate than adults, but is rapidly on the rise (Balague, Troussier, Salminen, 1999, 429-438).

Chronic lower back pain is on the rise in not only America, but is on the rise in the world. According to a study by the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases in 2010, approximately one in ten people suffer from lower back pain, which makes lower back pain the leading cause of disability in the world (http://ard.bmj.com/content/early/2014/02/14/annrheumdis-2013-204428). This rate is on the rise and should be extremely alarming as common activities, including working a desk job, can contribute to chronic lower back pain. While there are many different methods to treat chronic lower back pain, including physical therapy, therapeutic

Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability in America with over half of working, adult Americans admitting to having had back pain symptoms. Back pain causes millions of Americans to lose time at work and it costs them millions of dollars spent on pain relief and medical care. If you suffer from back pain Frisco TX, then you know how debilitating it can be.

Postural exercises may help patients to be more aware of their posture and make self-corrections to avoid future injury throughout the workday. In the systematic review by Drescher (Reference 22), the study compared a group receiving postural exercises to a control group who were not receiving postural exercises. It was found that the group that completed postural exercises demonstrated decreased pain and increased cervical ROM. Another high quality study (references 17-19) within this review compared an intervention group receiving postural exercises to the control group. The postural exercise group showed significant reduction in pain at both the 6 month and 3 year follow up, as well as a lower amount of sick days taken from work at the 3 year study. There was no significant different in cervical ROM improvement in these two groups. Initially the cost of this postural training was higher, however ended up being lower when taking into account the cost of sick-leave days, loss of productivity and other interventions.(Drescher) In a study by Schnabel et al, it was determined that active therapy including postural advice and exercise was superior to passive modalities such as massage and ultrasound. (Schnabel) There is limited evidence on specific postural exercises which would best benefit this population, however there has been some proof that

However, it has been acknowledged that not all interventions that are used in treatment of low back pain have the same effectiveness or capacity; thus, leading to a need to objectively establish the efficacy of treatments for chronic low back pain and then disseminate this information to healthcare providers and patients (Searle et al. 2015). A systematic review of randomised trials is needed to evaluate the effect of physiotherapy treatment in management of acute low back pain and also compare different treatment approaches being used and determine (disseminate) which one is more effective in providing effective support to individuals in need of

Moreover, staying in just one position for a long period ( sitting in a chair with a bright computer screen right in front of you) can make you more susceptible to neck, back, and shoulder pain. All these can even affect your performance and inadvertently limit the progress of the company.