Efforts to prevent, treat injuries will boost productivity

Back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability, and a leading contributor to missed work.

That's according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The institute also says Americans annually spend at least $50 billion on lower back pain.

I've experienced my own share of that billion-dollar back-breaking, spine-crunching pain for the past two years, and have poured money into chiropractic visits and countless bottles of pain relievers. I've sacrificed cute high-heel shoes for more sensible flats.

Learning how to prevent, treat and reduce workers' back pain benefits employees and bosses, who both have the same goal: Productivity.

Todd Schemper, a physical therapist with Work Systems Rehab and Fitness, said one common cause for back pain is the individual experiencing one particular incident, like lifting something heavy, which can trigger a latent back problem.

For others, the cause is not as clear, said Schemper, clinic manager in Des Moines. Improper body mechanics, repeated over time, sometimes can result in back problems.

That's where stretching programs and proper body mechanics education come in.

Something as simple as taking stretch and rest breaks throughout the day to move your body in different positions can help stave off injury, Schemper said. Standing up and rotating your trunk, reaching your arms overhead and using a wall or pole to help stretch your hips or calves are all quick exercises workers can do.

In factory jobs with a lot of repetitive movement, workers should make it a point to move their bodies in the opposite direction of the work movement so that there's balance, he said. So if you reach to your right all day, also reach to your left.

If you're already dealing with back pain, developing a stronger core — back, pelvis and abdominals — can help prevent future back problems, Schemper said.

Sometimes, the remedy is in looking at how another part of the body is out of whack, which is causing the back to do more work.

Some jobs put a significant amount of stress on your back.

In fact, back and shoulder injuries are the most common injuries reported among workers at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, said Terri Trepp, Mercy's manager of employee health.

The hospital emphasizes back injury prevention with measures like its "no lift policy," which encourages nurses and nurses' aides to use available lifting equipment to move patients.

"We really push prevention," Trepp said.

In response to the growing girth of patients, Mercy has purchased several patient lifts that can carry up to 1,000 pounds, said Maureen Allen, work compensation coordinator at Mercy. Other devices like the "Air Pal," an inflatable mattress used to transfer patients from bed to bed, and a gait belt — which gives healthcare providers a more secure grip on patients when moving them — also help reduce back injuries.

Workers at Mercy are also encouraged to stay fit and work out their core muscles.

"I don't think people know that the abdominals actually do 90 percent of the stabilization of your back while lifting," Allen said. "If you have weak stomach muscles, you make yourself more prone to back injury."

Walking while maintaining good posture — with your stomach pulled in and shoulders back — is a great, simple and effective way to start strengthening that core, she said.

In addition, www.Mayoclinic .com offers these tips for staying injury-free at work: