Disorders such as back pain cost economy €750m a year

TWICE as many work days are lost due to musculoskeletal disorders than are lost due to stress, and the illness is costing the economy €750 million a year, new research reveals.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) include back pain, work-related upper-limb disorder and rheumatic diseases, including arthritis.

The study by the British-based Work Foundation believes early diagnosis and intervention could keep more Irish workers fit for work. The report – Fit for Work? – is part of a study covering 25 countries.

The report also found that around more than two in five (42%) of Irish workers with MSD pain have not had the condition diagnosed.

“We must not lose these people to the economy.

“Steps can be taken now by employers, governments and policymakers to ensure the majority can be fit for work,” said Work Foundation managing director, Stephen Beven.

And while 11% of the Irish workforce had a long-standing illness or injury that affects their ability to work, compared to the European average of 16%, there is concern that Ireland has a growing problem in this area with its ageing workforce and an increasing number of people who are either overweight or obese.

Arthritis chairman and leading Irish rheumatologist, Professor Oliver Fitzgerald, pointed out that in some cases Irish patients with MSDs could wait as long as four years for treatment.

“This is particularly compelling when you consider rheumatoid arthritis, one of the MSDs listed in the report, will result in irreversible damage if left untreated for this length of time,” he said.

Rheumatology is the medical discipline that treats the majority of MSDs but, with only one consultant rheumatologist per 200,000 in the population, the medical discipline was chronically understaffed, Prof Fitzgerald said.

The report points out that more than half of Irish workers experience back pain each year. Just under 60% of workers experience muscular pain in their neck, shoulders and upper limbs.

The report also points out that more than 700,000 people have arthritis and that almost a quarter of people with the condition stop work within five years of diagnosis. The figure increases to 40% if the effects of related conditions are taken into account.