Back pain sufferers 'could recover more quickly at work'

People with arthritis, back pain or other health problems recover more quickly by staying at work, a new report in the UK claimed today.

The Work Foundation said early intervention and an emphasis on keeping sufferers of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in work would boost productivity and reduce the 2.6 million people claiming incapacity benefit.

The Government was urged to rethink how health agencies co-ordinate treatment and to give a higher priority to the impact on the labour market of days lost.

MSDs account for up to a third of GP consultations, cause 9.5 million lost working days and cost the economy £7.4bn (€10.9bn) a year, said the report.

Michelle Mahdon, senior researcher at the Work Foundation, said: “Stress hogs headlines, but in terms of people affected, MSDs are the bigger problem, affecting more than a million people a year and, of course, their families.

“Work can be both cause and cure. It may cause or aggravate symptoms of MSDs, but evidence is amassing that with the right support arrangements work can also be part of the recovery by contributing to a person’s self-esteem and sense of being productive.

“What urgently needs to change is the attitude of many GPs and employers that an MSD sufferer must be 100% well before any return to work can be contemplated. Too many see only incapacity rather than capacity.”

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented: “Although for some lower back conditions there is evidence that continued activity can be a useful part of rehabilitation, there is no such evidence for other musculoskeletal disorders.

“In most cases, continuing the activity that caused the injury will just make things worse, and no one should be expected to continue working unless a doctor advises otherwise.

“This advice is at best simplistic – and at worst dangerous. What we need is more access to rehabilitation for MSDs with further research into what interventions work and at what stage.”