BACK CARE
DON’T IGNORE THE COMMON PAIN
Back Care Week ran from 3-7 October and presented an opportunity
to pause and consider the importance of ensuring we do everything we can to look after our physical health
A police officers’ daily duties can be physically demanding in a variety of ways, from the exertions placed on officers when out on the streets, to long stints sitting behind the wheel of a car or at a desk, all of which over time can lead to issues with back health. It’s important to remember that back pain is common, can affect anyone and often doesn’t mean that harm has occurred. There are simple and affordable, preventative measures that we can all take to have positive back health, from exercise, yoga, swimming, walking and Pilates to name a few, to maintaining good posture – this can mean posture awareness which is helped by regular movement, so for example, if possible remove your body armour regularly, get out of the car and stretch or if you are stuck at a desk, don’t get caught in one position for too long. An often-overlooked contributor to
back issues is stress. Most understand that stress can have a significant impact on mental health, but it can present as tension and back pain also. With this in
18 | POLICE | OCTOBER | 2023
mind, being alert to your mental well- being and taking time to notice stress and tension and then take remedying or preventative measures, such as walks, quiet time or time to concentrate on mindfulness techniques, can provide significant aid in back pain relief. Part of the set of tools to combat
and help prevent back issues is the new 3rd generation body armour. This new armour is lighter in weight than previous iterations when worn, both with or without the supplementary knife protection (SKR) plates. The difference averages about 400grams across the various issues of the kit, which may appear insignificant, but over long days and weeks, and in moments of physical exertion, this small difference can have a significant impact. Given too, that there is now for the first time, as standard issue, female specific body armour, the positive impact this has on movement and agility for all female cops should not be under- estimated; this represents another asset when considering preventative measures designed to maintain an officer’s physical
well being.
Of course it goes without saying that maintaining as healthy a lifestyle as possible, getting good sleep and maintaining a well-balanced diet are key components that can help prevent stress, tension and other causes of back issues. If you have back pain that has moved from the small of your back to other areas, this may present an early warning of something more sinister. Very rarely back pain can indicate something that needs more urgent investigation and should move you to seek medical advice immediately.
Such symptoms may be:
• Difficulty controlling or passing urine • Loss of control of your bowels • Numbness around your back passage or your genitals
• Severe unremitting pain
• Weakness in your legs or are unsteady on your feet
For more help and resources visit:
www.thebenfund.co.uk
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