Three reasons for work-related lower back pain

Lower back pain is one of the scourges of the modern workforce, and it can cause you to miss significant time from work. 

Unfortunately, you’re more likely to develop lower back pain at work than you may think. It’s estimated that nearly 26% of all U.S. workers had lower back pain in 2010, and this isn’t surprising since there are many reasons for workers developing lower back pain. Physical therapists can help educate you about some common reasons workers develop lower back pain. These specialists can also help you find effective treatment for your lower back pain. 

These are three common reasons that U.S. workers develop lower back pain

1. They work in health care — Our health care workers are doing heroic things for us right now. But they also have a higher risk of lower back pain than workers in other occupations. One factor that increases their risk is how much lifting health care workers do every day. They often have to lift patients or heavy medical equipment, which leaves them open to aching in the lower back. 

2. They’re lifting objects improperly — It’s not unusual for workers in active and nonactive jobs to have to lift heavy objects. Trying to hurry through this task and other factors can cause people to use poor form when lifting heavy objects. In turn, this poor form can increase a worker’s risk of injuring their lower back. 

3. They have unergonomic workspaces — Ergonomics is the study of how to increase work environment safety. It can focus on the equipment a worker uses to do their job. It can focus on movements that workers need to make to do their jobs as well. A work environment that doesn’t make use of ergonomic principles is more likely to cause injuries, such as lower back issues. 

Ways physical therapists can help address these reasons for lower back pain

There are many ways a physical therapist can help address the above reasons for lower back pain. Some techniques that these specialists can use to do so are: 

• Therapeutic exercises designed to help improve flexibility and strength in your lower back muscles. 

• Work conditioning intended to help you learn and practice good lifting techniques. 

• Ergonomic recommendations that can help improve the safety of your specific work environment. 

Peak Performance can help you address the reasons for your lower back pain

Tired of not being able to effectively address your work-related lower back pain? Our Peak Performance Sports & Physical Therapy team is keen to help you tackle your pain. We can do a free screening on your lower back to pinpoint the cause of your pain. Our physical therapists can then build a therapy plan that’s designed to fit your unique needs and work tasks. You can even get our help from home by signing up for a virtual therapy session with our team.

Contact us today for more information about how we can assist workers with their lower back pain or to schedule an initial appointment to start addressing your pain.