Beat Back Pain
Back pain is a growing health problem that can have a real impact on the UK’s workforce.
One of the most common ailments for both manual and non-manual workers, back pain will affect 80 per cent of the population at some point in their lives, according to NHS advice website Sheffield Back Pain.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s Management Survey Report 2009 states that back pain is one of the main causes of long term absence in the workplace among manual workers alongside musculoskeletal conditions and stress.
Consequently it has an enormous negative impact, not just on the quality of life for individual sufferers, but also on businesses and the UK economy.
From a national perspective, the National Health Service spends more than £1 billion per year on back pain related costs, including £512 million on hospital costs for back pain patients, £141 million on GP consultations and a further £150.6 million on physiotherapy treatments.
Indirectly, there are hidden costs to back pain, too. The Health and Safety Executive estimates that musculoskeletal disorders cost UK employers up to £624 million per year.
The charity Back Care indicates that, on any one day, one per cent of the working population are on sick leave as a result of a back problem.
Back pain can affect people of any age and can last for varying amounts of time. The level of pain can range from mild to severe which can have a huge impact on people’s lives, often preventing them from going to work and limiting their everyday activities.
Both acute and chronic back pain can have various causes, which are often difficult to identify, but it can be brought on by a sprain or strain of the muscles, ligaments, joints or discs in the back. It can also happen after lifting or moving awkwardly.
Exercise, medication and therapy treatments can all help to alleviate the symptoms of back pain.
Earlier this year, scientists also revealed that using acupuncture to treat chronic back pain is more effective in relieving discomfort than standard treatments alone. *
Most Westfield cash plans offer a therapies benefit, which provides policyholders with money back towards the cost of treatments such as physiotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic treatment and osteopathy.
More details about Westfield’s plans are available on this website.
Reference
* http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6269247.ece
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