INCREASING WELLBEING & PROFITABILITY WITH TARGETED EXERCISE THERAPY

Interventions for Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders.

INTRODUCTION

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (or MSD’s) are the greatest health issue faced by a company and
its employees today. These commonly include, but are not limited to, neck, back and wrist pain.

This review article summarises up-to-date research.

MSD’s AND THEIR COSTS

The debilitating symptoms of prolonged office hours include: neck tension, acute back pain, carpal tunnel
syndrome, golfers and tennis elbow to name a few.

These are extremely common examples that plague workforces, impairing the ability to focus and work,
leading to extended leave in cases.

“...their impact on working life is huge. MSDs can interfere with activities at work, and can cause a
reduction in productivity, an increase in sickness absence, and chronic occupational disability”. (1)
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

The Office for National Statistics looked at sickness absence and found that “more days were lost to back,
neck and muscle pain than any other cause”.(9)

MSD symptoms are caused by repetitive movements and poor posture. When left untreated, symptoms
can develop, into disguised but significant and compounding expenses.

“[These conditions are] associated with high costs to the employer such as absenteeism, lost productivity,
increased health care, disability, and workers compensation costs”. (2)
US Department of Health and Human Services
The statistics below highlight the costs of MSD’s.

AS A % of PAY-BILL
“employers spend in the region of 9 to 10 per cent of their annual pay-bill managing the direct and
indirect consequences of sickness absence”. (10)
Greater London Authority Intelligence Unit

£’S COST per EMPLOYEE

“an average London firm of 250 employees loses around £4,800 per week (or around 
£250,000 a year)
due to sickness absence, employers have a clear interest in reducing the ill-health of their employees”. (10)
Greater London Authority Intelligence Unit

AS A % of SICK DAYS
“35% of days lost due to ill health are work-related musculoskeletal disorders”. (3)
GB Health and Safety Executive

DAYS LOST PER CASE

“17.6 working days are lost per case, on average”. (3)
GB Health and Safety Executive

The financial benefits in tackling this are clear, while companies also benefit from increased reputation and
employee engagement.

“by tackling sickness absence, the employer can benefit from retaining human capital, reducing staff
turnover costs, improved reputation and a more engaged and productive employee”. (10)
Greater London Authority Intelligence Unit

“[The World Economic Forum found] firms that actively promote wellness are 2.5 times more likely to be
seen as a best performer by their employees, are three times more likely to be seen as productive and
employees are eight times more likely to be engaged. (10)
Greater London Authority Intelligence Unit

In summary, “[MSD’s are] the largest preventable health related cost [in the workplace] (1)”. Subsequently,
the decision to strategically combat these head on provides a great opportunity to companies concerned
about employee health, productivity, or streamlining operations.
CURRENT INTERVENTIONS

Unfortunately, current interventions are often limited to workstation assessments and ergonomic changes
(vertical mice, standing desks and modified seating are a few examples).

However, equipment modification is reported to have no effect on improving symptoms. These efforts can
be a costly way of delaying a more effective remedy.

“Workstation adjustment interventions alone had a “moderate level of evidence of no effect for UEMSD
outcomes”. (6)
British Medical Journal

“Practitioners should consider seeking alternative interventions”. (6)

British Medical Journal

Allowing symptoms to develop significantly compounds the indirect costs incurred. Through rehabilitation,
worker compensation, absenteeism, replacement cover and lost sales.

Similarly, gym subsidies and generic classes cannot be relied upon to improve MSD’s, while in some cases
they may exacerbate symptoms. A common misconception is that Yoga is ‘good for back pain’. This is
false, a tailored approach is required.

An effective intervention will be specific to the issue and look to prevent the onset of MSD’s before they
begin.

“What these findings really show is the huge opportunity for preventive public health”. (5)
UK Government

WHAT DOES A GOOD MSD INTERVENTION LOOK LIKE?

The benefits of workplace health schemes are well reported and recognised today, the
PricewaterhouseCoopers report documents these well in appendix 2b in their report. (11)

The benefits shown below in Table 1 are pulled from the comprehensive aforementioned
PricewaterhouseCoopers review for convenience. These cover a diverse range of intervention strategies,
all targeted at reducing MSD incidence.

Functional Absence Mental Medical

^ Ergonomic v Absenteeism ^ Productivity v # of physio
awareness cases
^ Postural v Days lost per ^ Mental Clarity v Duration of
awarenss MSD case. physio
^ Retention ^ Seld-esteem v Insurance
premiums
v Recruitment v Reduced Stress
fees
v Cost of staff ^ Employee
cover Satisfaction
(Table 1)
Upon review of the diverse interventions strategies implemented, none provided as substantial and
consistent benefits as the introduction of workplace muscular fitness programmes.

“Resistance training programmes had a strong level of evidence. We recommend implementing a

workplace-based resistance training exercise programme to help prevent symptoms and disorders”. (6)
British Medical Journal

“There is clear evidence from research that (intensive) physical exercise programmes reduce low back pain
occurrence. In particular exercises in muscle strengthening appear to play an important role”. (7)
European Union - Occupational Health & Safety at Work

“Muscular fitness programmes can be successfully applied to any organisation for people of any age”. (1)
European Agency for Safety & Health at Work.

ARE THEY COST EFFECTIVE?

Evidence points to a positive return.

“There is good scientific evidence that primary preventive interventions against occupational back pain are
cost-effective”. (8)
Journal of Family & Community Medicine.

“The benefit-cost ratio for programmes targeting musculoskeletal issues were as high as 15.4, 24.6 and
84.9”. (11)
PricewaterhouseCoopers

This ratio highlights the nominal return for every unit of cost expenditure (i.e. 15.4 illustrates that for every
£1 spent the organisation recovered £15.40, £24.60 and £84.90 in programme benefits).

CONCLUSION

In summary, investing in a targeted, exercise-based MSD intervention is not only a smart, conscientious
approach to employee health and wellbeing, but an intelligent financial investment as it can reduce
expenses incurred through the array of related absence associated costs while simultaneously boosting
productivity and positivity in the workplace.
WHAT WE OFFER

The Posture Clinic is the only program designed specifically to combat the leading cause of sick leave in
MSD’s.

A purposefully designed exercise-based workplace wellness program that combines targeted posture drills,
and stretches for relief and lifetime value.

We provide the equipment and instructor, you simply provide the space, a large meeting room.

Workshops are designed to:

• Relieve tension and symptoms.
• Educate in how and why these occur.
• Recognise behaviours that contribute to MSD development.
• Strengthen to prevent further issues.

To make an enquiry please contact Arin Melvin via the email below.
arin@thepostureclinic.uk
REFERENCES

1 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

A European Campaign on Musculoskeletal Disorders

2 US Department of Health and Human Services, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders & Ergonomics

3 GB Health and Safety Executive

Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) Statistics in Great Britain 2017

4 National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Development of a risk score for low back pain in office workers - a cross-sectional study.
Prawit Janwantanakul; et al;

5 UK Government
The Burden of Disease and what it means in England.

6 British Medical Journal, Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Effectiveness of workplace interventions in the prevention of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and
symptoms: an update of the evidence.
D Van Eerd; et al;

7 European Union - Occupational Health & Safety at Work

Strategies to Tackle Musculoskeletal Disorders at Work

8 Journal of Family & Community Medicine

Prevention of Occupational Back Pain.

9 The Office for National Statistics

Workforce Management Study

10 Greater London Authority Intelligence Unit - Economics

London’s Business Case for Employee Health and Wellbeing

11 Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Building the case for Wellness -2008

Additional Reading:
Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSDs) Statistics in Great Britain 2017