Is back, neck and muscle pain hurting the UK economy?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26338889

Is back, neck and muscle pain hurting the UK economy?

By Joe Miller, Business Reporter
About 44 million workers in the EU have musculoskeletal disorders caused by their workplace

The UK economy is slowly recovering, but the country’s workforce is in considerable pain.

In fact, the Work Foundation estimates that employees suffering from bone and joint pain cost the EU’s economies 240bn euros (£200bn) each year.

Almost 31 million days of work were lost last year due to back, neck and muscle problems, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, which include a large range of bone and joint complaints, accounted for more prolonged absences than any other ailment. Minor illnesses such as the common cough or cold accounted for 27 million lost days, but MSKs were more likely to recur, and develop into long-term conditions.

Early detection

Once symptoms do occur, we are slow to react. A two-year trial in Madrid showed that by assessing and treating 13,000 workers with MSKs who had been off for five days or more, their temporary work absence was reduced by 39% in the long term.

The importance is early detection, and early intervention.

 

At the Reading Chiropractor we are primary care practitioner, so we can assess and diagnose your cause of pain, to help you with your recovery.