Ergonomics | What are the causes of back pain (and solutions for desk workers)?

You’re working at your desk, typing away at your computer and spending hours on video calls… now you’ve got a nasty bout of back pain.

Back pain is extremely common amongst desk workers. Whilst many instances of back pain only cause mild discomfort, the more severe cases can have detrimental effects on an individual’s professional, personal and family life. Back pain is one of the top 10 diseases and injuries that account for the highest number of DALYs (life years lost to ill-health, disability and mortality) worldwide.

In the United States, 149 million work days are lost every year due to time off for lower back pain, costing the economy $98 billion. When indirect costs are factored in, this reaches an unfathomable $200 billion annually, two-thirds accounting for lost wages and productivity. In the UK, lower back pain affects one third of adults every year and is the most common cause of disability in young adults.