Whether you're lifting boxes, operating heavy machinery, or
sitting at a desk all day, back pain can strike at any time.
Occupational
low back pain (LBP) is a major cause of disability and missed
work days, and evidence implicates psychosocial factors, perhaps
more significantly than biomechanical workload, in the progression
and persistence of acute and chronic LBP.
As a result, many treatment programs and management strategies
are adopting a multidisciplinary approach toward LBP in the
workplace. Early intervention involving light mobilization
and information/recommendations on their condition may be
the most cost-effective method of returning patients to normal
levels of activity - a premise investigated in a recent study
involving 457 LBP patients. All patients were suffering from
8-12 weeks of low back pain and were randomized into two groups:
an intervention group given information and advice to stay
active, and a control group treated with conventional primary
health care, tending toward recommendations of bedrest and
reduced activity.
Patients in the intervention group had higher rates of return
to full work status than patients receiving conventional care.
Specifically, 51.9% of patients in the intervention group
returned to full-duty work within three months vs. 35.9% of
controls, and this disparity was maintained at six and 12-months
follow-ups (61.2% vs. 45% within six months, 68.4% vs. 56.4%
within 12 months).
Your doctor of chiropractic can provide you with more information
on the potential causes and most effective methods of managing
low back pain.
Reference:
Hagen EM, Eriksen JR, Ursin H. Does early intervention with
a light mobilization program reduce long-term sick leave for
low back pain? Spine 2000: Vol. 25, No. 15, pp1973-76.
For more information on back pain, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/backpain.html
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