FEATURE FROM HEAD TO TOE
Dr Nick Summerton, GP and medical director at Bluecrest Wellness, offers advice on supporting the physical and mental health of people who suffer with chronic pain.
Separating physical and mental health is a mistake. Musculoskeletal disorders are a good example of why occupational health professionals need to see the connections between the two, and find practical ways to overcome nervousness around addressing psychological conditions.
Occupational health provides an essential service in checking on the basic working environment – the lighting, layouts and training – and minimising the risks of any kind of physical activity in the workplace, whether it’s lifting, standing or days of sitting in front of a screen.
“A ‘BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL’ APPROACH PICKS UP ON NEGATIVE ATTITUDES, FEARS AND CONCERNS THAT EXACERBATE AND ENCOURAGE THE EXPERIENCE OF CHRONIC PAIN.”
In healthcare in general, there is now more awareness of the nature of MSDs and the workplace. Treatments have become more sophisticated, with growing use of spinal imaging, spinal injections, spinal fusion surgery and stronger pain relief drugs. But where is the resulting reduction in back pain problems and lower levels of absence?
Out of the 131 million days of sickness absence in the UK (according to the most recent study carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 2013), 31 million were for back and neck pain – more than any other reason given. High levels of cases progress from being a single, acute incident to a long-term issue.
Figures suggest that around 3-10% of cases of low back pain, for example, become chronic. Up to around 62%
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of people still experience the pain after one year. The sheer level of absence, as well as the potentially crippling impact of back pain on people’s lives outside of work, means that MSDs have a huge financial and social cost.
Getting the intervention right with staff already reporting a chronic problem is critical. Some employers take a straightforward, no- nonsense approach that provides clarity for both sides by using a fast- track physiotherapy approach. Employees with a record of absence with MSDs are invited to undertake a functional
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