How Back Pain Is Affecting The Healthcare Industry

Updated on December 9, 2022
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Back pain affects the quality of life of millions of people around the world. In fact, studies how that back pain is the primary cause of disabilities worldwide, and is linked to several mental health disorders, like depression and anxiety. Even healthcare workers who suffer from this condition show less productivity, affecting both their personal and professional lives. If you want to identify the exact source of your chronic pain and start effective treatments that will give you lasting relief and improved quality of life, you can search for terms like “back pain clinic near me” or “pain specialists near me” on Google to get started.

What Is Back Pain And Its Causes?

Back pain is basically the pain you feel in the back. It is categorized by the parts of the back, namely tailbone pain (pelvic), lower back pain (lumbar), middle back pain (thoracic), and neck pain (cervical).

Here are health disorders that can result in back pain:

  • Osteoporosis – When the vertebrae grow brittle, these cannot deal with the pressure due to compression, resulting in back pains.
  • Disc Problems – These issues occur when the discs that provide cushion between the bones are ruptured or bulge out.
  • Arthritis – Osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis are the most common defects related to joint inflammations that produce back pains.
  • Scoliosis – This spinal irregularity can be diagnosed as early as possible. However, the back pains produced by scoliosis can only be felt during adolescence or early adulthood.

Having  back pain does not happen instantly; it develops over time. This condition progresses from everyday routine, environmental factors, and lifestyle. You may visit a reputable orthopedic website to find out more about the causes of  back pain.

Back Pain And How It Affects The Healthcare Industry

As you can see, different factors may lead to back pain, making it complicated to pinpoint the exact cause. The healthcare industry has an appropriate approach to every case. In simple cases, many patients need little to no formal treatment at all. However, cases that exhibit serious health threats may require patients to subject themselves to therapies (both physiological and physical) instead of taking medications or undergoing surgeries.

Even healthcare workers suffering from back pain are burdened by it, thus affecting the whole healthcare industry as these people cannot function efficiently.

Here are the effects of back pain that affect the quality of work of healthcare professionals:

1. Less Mobility

Back pain greatly affects the movements of the body. Because healthcare workers are constantly in motion, such a condition hinders them from performing their usual tasks as it puts a great toll on their body, making them less productive.

Injuries are considered as one of the primary causes of back pain. Several injuries around the back part of the body produce back pain. Some of the said injuries include:

  • Strain Or Sprain – Back strain involves the tendons, while a back sprain has to do with the ligaments. The usual causes are overusing these parts during lifting or exercising
  • Fracture – Intense sports that require a lot of stretching or extensive movements, like volleyball, basketball, and diving, are some of the usual causes of a spine fracture.

2. Stress

Back pain produces a lot of stress, physically and mentally. Stress, in turn, causes the muscles to tighten up.

Stress may lead to depression and anxiety, which could debilitate healthcare workers.These people must maintain mental wellness at all times in order to effectively perform their respective duties, such as taking care of the sick. Unfortunately, stress that stems from back pain can make them mishandle their patients, which can cause lives.

3. Lack Of Sleep

Your quality of sleep can also be massively affected if you’re suffering from back pains. It is one of the most adverse effects of back pain, especially to healthcare workers because the rest their weary bodies need after a long tiring day cannot be achieved. One study shows that lack of sleep has contributed to decline in healthcare workers’ work performance. Healthcare workers who suffer from sleep deprivation also has a higher risk of becoming obese and diabetic, as well as developing gastric problems.

4. Lack Of Focus And Concentration

Back pain can disrupt your normal life, making it difficult to complete your tasks and routines while at home or at work. Such a type of condition may also cause you to have trouble focusing and concentrating, which could lead to a low response time, miscommunication with patients or co-workers, and slip ups which may cause accidents in the workplace.

Conclusion

Back pain is one of the primary health problems experienced by people from around the globe. The healthcare industry is especially impacted by such a condition as it affects the efficiency of healthcare workers, who need to move constantly while performing their tasks. 

Improvements in your daily life, like sleeping well, doing some exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight, could help you avoid back pain. Good posture when standing, lifting, and sitting can also help a lot regarding this matter.

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