stay active (including work) - your back is designed for movement so the sooner you start doing your ordinary activities the better. use prescribed pain killers preferably taken at regular intervals (Paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) heat or cold applied to the sore area may help.
Regardless of cause, low back pain can affect a person's ability to perform work tasks. Between 6 and 10% of workers stopped working, changed jobs, or made a major change in work activities because of their low back pain.
Contact your health care provider for back pain that: Lasts longer than a few weeks. Is severe and doesn't improve with rest. Spreads down one or both legs, especially if the pain goes below the knee.
If your back pain is unrelenting and not relieved by rest, you should immediately visit the closest emergency department. If the pain is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, you should also seek emergency care: Fever. Numbness.
For persistent pain, the GP is likely to refer you to a specialist. You may also need a doctor's letter to your employer, asking for alternative work on lighter duties. Your doctor will issue you with a fit note, formally known as a Statement of Fitness for Work.
Causes of back pain at work
lifting heavy or bulky loads. carrying loads awkwardly, possibly one-handed. pushing, pulling or dragging heavy loads. manual handling in awkward places, such as during delivery work.
Rest. Right after a muscle strain, it is important to limit your activity level and avoid movements that increase pain. After the initial pain subsides, returning to previous level of activity may help prevent the muscles from growing weak.
An MRI will not show muscle strains or other problems with soft tissues. The pain usually will go away on its own, although it may take several months. An MRI won't change your treatment plan.
Bed rest is usually considered an efficient treatment for acute low back pain. However, the optimal duration of bed rest is still being discussed. The recommended periods vary from 2 days to 2 weeks.
Most people with back strains and sprains have a full recovery with treatment within 2 weeks.
Back pain is one of the biggest causes of work absences, accounting for more than 12 million days lost every year.
Chronic pain can limit a person's mobility and strength, making it difficult for them to sit, stand, and lift objects in the workplace. Repetitive activities, such as typing, may be especially challenging for those with nonstop pain.
Bad back pain. __You may feel like a wimp calling in sick because your back hurts, but don't! Experts say sitting at a desk all day can actually aggravate your back and make the pain worse. Instead, after a mega back spasm, spend the day at home taking it easy.
You can get a fit note from a doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist. The healthcare professional treating you can also issue a fit note based on a written report from another healthcare professional.
Sick notes are discretionary. A doctor can refuse to give you a sick note if they feel you are fit to work. It helps to document when your symptoms started, what symptoms you have had, and how severe they have been to give the doctor a clear and accurate picture of your health condition.
In animals, pain studies have had every possible outcome: males have higher tolerance, females do, and there is no gender difference at all. "Human studies more reliably show that men have higher pain thresholds than women, and some show that men have a higher pain tolerance as well," Graham adds.
Instead of telling all to your boss, frame your conversation around how your condition will affect your job, Dore suggests. You don't even need to specify exactly what you have, only how it will impact your work life. That way you're being honest but still protective of your personal information.
While some back pain is only mild to moderate, severe back pain is when your pain is constant, intense or gets worse when you're resting or at night. 2. Your pain is persistent. If your back pain lasts longer than three months, it's considered chronic and may require a tailored treatment plan.
VA disability ratings for back pain go from 10% to 100% depending on how severe your symptoms are, including your range of motion and pain frequency and level. Claims involving both the cervical spine and the thoracolumbar spine are rated under the same general rating formula.
Your spinal disc is at the bottom of your back, so if you have pain in your lower back, you may assume it is a slipped disc. Furthermore, the feeling of pain will differ between the two. Muscle pain will feel like post-workout soreness, while disc pain will feel debilitating and tingly.
If the pain you feel extends to your arms, forearms, and hands, the source may be your cervical spine. On the other hand, if you feel the pain radiating to your legs, it may be a problem with the lumbar spine.
The pain may be limited to one side or the other. You may have trouble bending your back or standing up completely straight. You may also have an occasional muscle spasm, especially when moving around or while sleeping. Spasms can turn the muscles in your back into a hard, painful knot.