At Work

Working is causing increasing problems for many adults. 46.5 million days were lost through spinal problems, this is 12% of all incapacities and has increased by 40% since 1983. £198 million was paid out in benefits by the DHSS. The loss to industry was over 1 billion pounds and treatment costs to the NHS was 156 million pounds, enough to have built 16 new hospitals.

Within the world of work there are many different ways of performing your duties. For example if you are lifting a box, many people know about bending their knees when lifting, but that is only part of the problem you should also try when you bend to do so in one plane of motion. This means that you try to avoid lifting and twisting as this significantly increases the stresses and strains on your ligaments, discs and muscles, and can significantly decrease your chances of  doing damage to your back.

You can look at your desk set up as well. This is worth doing because for somebody in a sedentary job you spend approximately 1715 hours a year in your chair. Your computer should be directly in front of you with your keyboard in front of the screen, so that you are not twisting your neck in any way to look at your screen. Before you turn the computer on if you look at the reflection of your eyes in the screen, they should be about 1/3 to 1/2 way down the screen. Your chair should have some support for the lower part of the spine and ideally sit at 90 degrees and for you not to slump. Your chair should be of a height soyour knees are at right angles and your elbows are at right angles when you type or write on the desk.

When you sit down at your desk you should try to put your bottom into the back of the chair and pull the chair under the table as far as is comfortable try to ensure that at least up to your mid forearm is on the desk and supported by the desk so that your arms are not floating in mid air.

R.S.I. (repetitive strain injury) Is something that often comes about through incorrect postioning of computers and desk and chair, this is something that can be corrected by taking you through the desk set up and osteopathy can also help treat the RSI.

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Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most commonly treated problems in Osteopathy often related to your job, it can manifest itself from a mild dull ache to excruciting stabbing pain, Osteopaths are taught to be able to distiguish the different types of pain and we are frequently the first port of call for many of our clients. With treatemnt and some modification fo lifestyle we are often able to eliminate the pain completly. The following research shows what Osteoapthic treatment can do for low back pain.

MRC FINDS ADDING SPINAL MANIPULATION AND EXERCISE TO GP CARE PROVIDES RELIEF FOR BACK PAIN

Friday, 19 November 2004

A Medical Research Council (MRC) trial to assess 'best care' in general practice for patients with lower back pain has found that spinal manipulation, as practised by osteopaths, followed by a programme of exercise, provides significant relief of symptoms and improvements in general health. The results of the trial are published online today, in the British Medical Journal.

Back pain is one of the most common ailments confronting general practitioners (GPs), affecting 80% of the population in the UK and costing the nation £6 million a year in lost working days and health care.

The UK Back pain Exercise And Manipulation (UK BEAM) trial is the first of it's kind to examine the effectiveness of two treatments, spinal manipulation and exercise, alone and in combination, for the routine management of low back pain in primary care. The national trial also compared outcomes between participants receiving manipulation in NHS premises and private premises.

Commenting on the outcomes of the study, Ian Russell, Professor of Public Health & Director of the Institute of Medical and Social Care Research at the University of Wales Bangor, and a lead researcher in the trial team said:

"Though the average benefit to patients was only moderate in size, back pain is so widespread and so costly to society that these benefits add up to substantial economic benefits across the UK. Our analysis also showed that the cost to the NHS was modest. Added to GP 'best care', spinal manipulation gives the best value for money."

The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) welcomed the findings of the UK BEAM Trial and its contribution to the management of back pain within the UK and internationally, and its potential influence on both practice and health care commissioning.

The National Council for Osteopathic Research (NCOR) today was encouraged by the positive effects the spinal manipulation and exercise treatment package had on a patient group that continues to grow in size.

"The immense cost to society and to the individual that back pain can inflict is well documented; it is encouraging to identify an adjunct to GP care that is both beneficial to the patient and modest in terms of economic outlay. The reasons behind the positive effect of spinal manipulation and exercise treatment had on the general health of the trial participants merits further research in itself," commented Carol Fawkes, Research Development Officer at NCOR.

"The research focus of the osteopathic profession is concerned with examining the practice, building an evidence base for osteopathic treatment and seeking ways in which that treatment can be enhanced for the greater benefit of the patients who consult osteopaths in growing numbers."

About the UK BEAM trial

The UK Back pain Exercise And Manipulation (UK BEAM) trail is a randomised controlled trial involving 1350 participants with simple low back pain, selected from 14 locations across the UK - Belfast, Edinburgh & Tayside, Exeter, Harrow, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Plymouth, Reading, Sheffield, Stockport, Teesside and Wrexham & Chester.

All outcomes were measured using postal questionnaires, one, three, and twelve months after randomisation.

In addition to clinical outcomes (general health, experience of back pain and beliefs about it) of the participants, economical analysis compared the benefits to participants with costs to both the NHS and the participants themselves.

The UK BEAM trial was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the NHS Research and Development Programme.

The Department of Health Sciences at the University of York and the MRC General Practice Research Framework (GPRF) were responsible for co-ordinating the trial.

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Arthritis

While Osteopaths are unable to reverse the changes of Osteoarthritis they are often able to help with the attendant symptoms of pain and lack of movement. This is because Osteopaths can work on the muscle tension and other soft tissue damage caused by the osteoarthritis and consequently can often decrease pain and increase mobility of the joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis on the other hand is generally much more difficult to get any change in the symptoms although cranio sacral osteopathy can sometimes help with decreasing the inflammation and consequently the pain in the joint affected. If you are unsure as to the type of arthritis that you have and uncertain as to whether Osteopathy can help you the best thing is to talk to your local osteopath.

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