Aches and strains from work

A great deal of back, neck and arm pain has less to do with dramatic accidents than with the ordinary shape of a working day: the same movement repeated thousands of times, a load lifted from the floor again and again, a head bent over a screen or a workbench for hours. This page explains how these aches are described and how workplaces think about them.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration uses the term musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs, for this group of problems. Its ergonomics overview explains that MSDs affect the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments and tendons, and gives examples that include carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, rotator cuff injuries of the shoulder, epicondylitis of the elbow, trigger finger, and muscle strains and low back injuries. When these conditions are caused or made worse by work, they are described as work-related.

The same page lists risk factors that workers in many industries are exposed to:

• lifting heavy items;
• bending;
• reaching overhead;
• pushing and pulling heavy loads;
• working in awkward body postures;
• performing the same or similar tasks repetitively.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases makes a related point in its overview of back pain: jobs that require heavy lifting, pushing, pulling or twisting can injure the back, and a desk job can play a role too, especially with poor posture or a whole day in an uncomfortable chair.

Not only a problem for manual jobs

It is easy to imagine these problems belonging to warehouses and building sites, but the list of risk factors applies just as well to office work, retail, cleaning, hairdressing, driving, caring work and kitchens. NIAMS notes in its overview of sports injuries that such injuries are not limited to athletes, giving the examples of factory workers who get tennis elbow, painters who get shoulder injuries and gardeners who develop tendinitis. Repetition, awkward positions and force are the common threads, whatever the job title.

How ergonomics looks at a job

OSHA describes ergonomics as fitting a job to a person. Rather than asking workers to adapt their bodies to a fixed task, an ergonomic approach looks at the task, the tools and the workplace and asks what could be changed. Typical questions include:

• Can the load be made lighter, split, or moved with a trolley, hoist or conveyor?
• Can the work be brought to a comfortable height, so that people are not bending low or reaching high all day?
• Can tools be chosen or adapted so that wrists stay straight and grip force stays low?
• Can tasks be rotated, so that no one repeats the same movement for a whole shift?
• Are there enough short breaks, and is there time to warm up before physical work?

OSHA's overview sets out elements of an ergonomic process, including management support, involving workers in assessments and solutions, training, identifying problems before they cause injuries, and encouraging early reporting of symptoms. The emphasis on workers' own knowledge is worth noting: the people who do a job every day often know best where it pinches.

Reporting early

OSHA encourages early reporting of MSD symptoms, so that jobs can be looked at before minor aches become serious injuries. That applies whether you work for a large employer with an occupational health service or on your own. Aches that start during or after particular tasks, and that seem to build over a week rather than settling, are worth mentioning to a supervisor, and to a health care provider if they persist or come with numbness, tingling or weakness.

Desk work

For people who work at a computer, the most relevant ideas are covered on the desk setup page: a chair that fits, a screen and keyboard at comfortable heights, and frequent changes of position. The posture page explains why the best position is often the next one.

Lifting and handling

For work that involves lifting and carrying, the lifting and carrying page describes the steps of a careful lift, the importance of avoiding a twist, and the value of asking for help or using a lifting aid.

Employers' responsibilities

OSHA notes that employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their workers. In practice, that can include workstation assessments, lifting equipment, training, and adjusting duties while someone is recovering from an injury. If you are unsure what applies in your workplace, a supervisor, a human resources team or an occupational health service is a good place to ask.