TOP TIPS TO OVERCOME
BACK PAIN
IN YOUR WORKPLACE
Manny Patel
Chartered Physiotherapist MSc BSc (Hons) DiP MCSP SRP

A BIT ABOUT ME
7Years in the NHS as a specialist MSK
Chartered Physiotherapist
3Years in the military as the team lead Physio
at Bovington Camp
3Years in private practice
Currently work at Urban Health & Fitness,
Christchurch, private clinic set in a health club
Specialise in complex back pain conditions in
particular individuals still suffering from back
pain after surgery / long term interventions

Aims of today
1:To give you a break away from work
2. Give you key insights into reducing your chances of getting back pain
3. Give you some strategies and tips to take away with you

Back pain, why should I care?
• Back pain is an epidemic
• You may have suffered / currently suffering
• You more than likely know somebody who has had back pain of some sort

Scale of the problem?
4 out 5 people will suffer with back pain at some point in their life.
2.5 million people suffer with back pain every day of the year (2)
Cost of back pain per year £12.3 billion or 22% of UK healthcare expenditure
Long standing back pain accounts for 4.6 million appointments per year or equivalent to 793 whole time GP’s (3)
Being off sick with back pain for longer than a month can lead to 20% chance of being off work 1 year later (1)
Off work for 6 months and there is a 50% chance you will be off work a year later (1) &
31 million works days are lost per year due to back and neck

21 Myths and misconceptions of back pain & why
back pain persists
• #1 I will never get back pain
• # 2 Understanding the difference between symptoms and causes
• # 3Treating only the symptoms
• # 4 Moving will make my back problem worse
• # 5 Chronic does not relate to the severity of a condition
• # 6 I’ve been told I have wear and tear
• # 7 I’ve been told I’ve got one leg longer
• # 8 I’ve been told my pelvis out of alignment
• # 9 the bouts of pain previously are different and not related to this current episode
• # 10 A scan will or has shown me what is wrong
• # 11 Failing to resolve the issue the first time or not seeking advice early on

• # 12 Pushing through the pain and ignoring it
• # 13 My parents / siblings had this issue and that’s why I’ve got the same issues
• # 14 Don’t worry – I’ve goggled the problem!
• # 15 I’ve seen previous people before and its not helped or made no difference
• #16 Picking up that pen did my back in
• # 17 There is nothing that anyone can do, its about managing the condition
• # 18 I injured my back years ago that’s why I get issues now
• # 19 Changing behaviours and bad habits
• # 20 Not taking the pains seriously
• # 21 I won’t get back pain as I’m not in a manual job

Understand how we are designed

Anatomy Basics
Functions of the Spine
1. Facilities movement
2. Gives you an upright posture
3. Protects sensitive structures such as the spinal
cord
Natural curves to the spine
Helps absorbs forces / pressures
Helps to encourage the natural movements of
each segments

Anatomy Basics
Many Structures within the back can be a source
of pain
1. Nociceptive: pain from the tissues
2. Neural pain
3. Other

Cause & Effect

1: Sitting is the new smoking!

Disc Pain
The main pain source from the back is related to disc pain.
Intervertebral discs are subject to a variety of factors but mostly pressure
Discs are sensitive to:
Repeated uncontrolled movements
Movements at the end of ranges
Pro longed postures
Men and women 30-50, lower back and neck area

2. Mobile phones & laptops
Next time you see somebody texting/ using their phone
Observe their posture, position of their head and spine!
1. Poor head posture- making the head and spine bend
2. Prolonged Postures for long periods of time
3. Increases the pressures on the joints/soft tissues and discs.

3. Fitness & Health Levels
In a ground breaking study done in 1966 (Mcgravock et al, 2009), the
cardiovascular system for 20 participants were examined after taking
3 weeks of strict bed rest.The loss in their cardiovascular function
was comparable with 40 years of aging.
Equally, they found that the rate of decline accelerated between the
ages of 50-60 with an approximately fourfold higher than the decline
between 20 and 50 years
Why does this relate to back pain?
High correlation with people with good cardiovascular and muscular
health and less likely to develop back related issues.

Factors such as:
 Age
 Weight
 Previous injuries
 Where you work
 Types of exercise you do
 Footwear
 Smoking
 Other health related issues
 Life stresses
Other factors

Prevention & solutions

1. Avoid Aggravating movements or activities

2. Sort out your sitting posture
Task: Pelvic neutral in sitting

3. Sort out your desk!

Tips for changing your workstation
1. Every 20 minutes sitting, take a 2 minute break from the sitting
position.This could mean standing up, going to another part of the
office etc.
2. Standing stations are great- build up your time by increments of 60
minutes per day – consider using a high surface with a laptop.
3. Ensure factors such as lighting on the screen and office are
addressed- if not, you will alter your posture to view the screen better
4. Get away from our desk during your breaks and lunch!
5. Consider short snap meetings in standing up to 5-10 minutes
6.The key- regularly move position

4. Sort our your posture; it will help you in life also…
Many factors can influence your posture
The scope of today is not to look at each person
individually
Consider seeking advice from a qualified personal
trainer/ Physiotherapist to get yourself assessed
and get a break down of what you can do to
improve your posture
Muscle balance is so important and varies
between each of us

5. Avoid activities that reinforce poor posture
Getting up off chairs

Picking items off the floor

6. Get moving & think long term
Boom in the health and fitness industry: giving you a variety
of ways to stay active and healthy
From very low cost to more expensive ways
e.g.Walking, running, gyms, exercise classes, phone apps
and online training
They give you more health benefits besides reducing your
risk of getting back pain

12TopTips to Getting Started
1. Start slowly and gradually
2. Consider a goal / target- you are more likely to succeed than not having one
3. Avoid early morning exercise if you have a history of back pain
4. Get a family/friend to start with you- you are more likely to avoid stopping
5. Get specialist help and advice if required
6. Listen to your body
7. Remember its not a sprint, think longer term – why do you brush your teeth?
8. Don’t try and add to many other changes all at once i.e. dieting / stop smoking
9. Understand more about why you need to do something
10. Don’t get put off by set backs
11. Change your behaviour: 66 days to change a behaviour
12. Changing movement patterns: Its not hard, it just takes commitment and patience

Final thoughts…
Over the last 20 years, medicine, science, health & technological advances have been
developed that have improved our quality of life and made us live longer!
Yet, the incidents of back pain is going up!

Practical!

Back Mobility Exercises

Back Strengthening Exercises

Thank you
Any Questions?
Email: Manoj@urbanhealthfitness.com
Website: www. Urbanhealthfitness.com