This week is National Back Care Awareness Week and the theme, this year, is “Builder’s Back Pain”.
Back pain accounts for half of all chronic pain people suffer and is the leading cause of sickness
absence from work. The financial burden of back pain is enormous, costing the UK economy £37 million, £13 million in disability benefits and the NHS £1.3 million EVERY DAY. That’s a staggering £19 billion every year.
This year’s campaign is focusing on the construction industry which generates 30,000 new back injuries each
year.
Most back injuries for construction workers are typically sprains and strains which occur in the lower back due to activities where you lift, lower, carry, push, or pull. The risk of injury increases if you repeatedly carry heavy loads and must twist your back, or if you tend to work bent over or in awkward positions. Osteopaths are trained to identify and tackle the underlying musculo-skeletal problems that cause pain and we also offer advice on how to rehabilitate after injury. For more advice see our tips for avoiding back pain on a building site advice sheet