The examples below may give you some ideas on how you can control back pain at work. These are real life stories both from the employer’s perspective and the employee’s perspective.
- Mrs B from Twickenham had back pain for four years before she was asked by her previous employer to return to work as a teaching assistant
- Plantronics have enabled one of their employees to continue her valuable work for the company by providing her with support and resources for her to control her back pain
If you want to share your experience on back pain at work, please contact BackCare.
Mrs B from Twickenham explains how she managed to control her back pain and return to work as a teaching assistant.
I was approached by my previous employer to return to work in September 2005, four years after the onset of my back problem. I had kept in touch with colleagues so was approached to return to work as a teaching assistant for seven hours a week. The school management have been very supportive with my return to work and appreciate the problems that have arisen from the ongoing back problem.
Unfortunately, the council offices had concerns about the risks posed by work to my physical health. From this the council organised a risk assessment, questions to the GP and medicals to check my suitability for the job role. Throughout all of this procedure the school management continued to be supportive, despite the council processes being time-consuming.
Despite being in constant pain the most debilitating problems are being unable to sit for long periods of time and being much slower moving around the school, especially on stairs. These issues have very little impact to my working day and the pain is controlled by medication.
Before returning to paid employment I had taken on a number of voluntary projects, with the support of my GP and pain consultant. These I found were really helpful not only for me to assess my personal abilities but to gain some confidence that had been all but shattered by the onset and severity of the resultant condition.
Being able to be active and part of the community gives me a sense of purpose and wellbeing that for some while had got lost somewhere between the pain and hospital visits.
Since I retuned to work I have learnt to manage my time to minimise the strain on my back and help to control the pain. I have also successfully managed to increase my working hours, though I do appreciate that I have limitations to work within, so I feel to over-work will be detrimental to my health.
It is quite interesting to note that many of the staff at work are unaware of the back problem I have as I choose not to tell them but those that are aware are very understanding and believe it hasn’t changed me as a person, except possibly to make me more positive.
Plantronics has enabled one of their employees to remain at work even when she experienced severe back pain.
Ms N has worked for Plantronics, the world's largest manufacturer, designer and marketer of communications headsets, for five years. She generally splits her working week between the office in Swindon and visiting other countries. This involves a large amount of travel by car and plane. She was diagnosed as having two dead discs at the bottom of her back about three years ago following a car accident. She lives with back pain every day, although some days are worse than others. As well as sciatica in her right leg and pain at the bottom of her back, she has difficulty standing upright on bad days.
The problems Ms N. found at work were multiple. She says: "Sitting at my desk to work was painful, lifting practically impossible, reaching everything on the desk a nightmare and driving long distances, keeping the right leg on the accelerator, was irritating to say the least!" .
To ease Ms N's pain, Plantronics arranged for an ergonomist to visit her work area to evaluate her needs, and to ensure that her workspace was designed to help out with her problem. The ergonomist made a series of recommendations, and Plantronics then implemented these. The desk was raised to make sitting, typing, phoning and reading easier – Ms N is six foot one, and the 'low' desk suitable for most people was making her lean forward, putting undue strain on the lower discs in her back.
In addition, Plantronics gave her an open remit to buy a comfortable chair; she got several companies specialising in ergonomic furniture to bring in chairs for trial. She eventually chose one which supported her neck as well as her back, and which could be ordered with an extra-long back in order to cater for her height. The company bought an adjustable screen raiser for the monitor which displays her laptop screen when she is in the office, so that she does not slump or crane her neck. She also has a keyboard with a wrist support.
"As for driving", says Ms N, I have the option of taking a chauffeur to Heathrow instead of driving myself (actually this is a very similar cost to the company - petrol allowance is expensive), which has made a big difference to the amount of pain I get. Plantronics is also flexible about letting me work from home on days when the pain is bad - so that I can lie down instead of sitting, and although we have moved offices twice since my back pain started, they have always ensured that the desk height is carried over to my new office. The shape of my desk was also changed for one that made everything easier to reach, during one of the moves."
Plantronics offers its staff membership at a gym and sauna, and Ms N makes sure that she exercises her back muscles regularly, and also relaxes them in the jacuzzi, to keep everything fluid and supple.
Ms N adds: "Since my back problem came to light (I was physically unable to stand at one point) the company has heard of problems like this that other employees may suffer from, and has had an ergonomist in on other occasions and implemented their recommendations."