Lower back pain major financial issue in NZ

Lower back pain major financial issue in NZ – says physiotherapist Duncan Reid

Efforts to reduce the cost to New Zealand taxpayers’ lower back pain will be a key issue discussed at the national physiotherapist conference in Rotorua in August.

Conference organiser Duncan Reid said low back pain is a major contributor to loss of work productivity both in New Zealand and across the world.

``ACC statistics indicate that low back pain, ankle and knee injuries are the most expensive to manage in NZ. It is estimated that up to 25 percent of work injuries are related to low back strain.

``While around 80 percent of the general population will hurt their back at some time in their life, most will recover within 4-6 weeks.’’

ACC spends in excess of $130 million a year treating back pain related injuries.

However Reid said recurrence is common and if a person does not return to work within a short time of injury the chances of doing so diminish over time.

Studies had found that if a person with a back injury was not back at work within 25 weeks of the injury they had just a 50 percent chance of getting back to work, he said. The figure reduces to 25 percent is someone has been off work for 52 weeks.

The New Zealand Manipulative Physiotherapists Association conference in Rotorua in August will bring together some of the world’s leading experts to help inform physiotherapists of the latest trends in exercise rehabilitation for people with low back pain.

Key speakers at Rotorua in August include Peter O'Sullivan, a former Kiwi at Curtin University in Perth, Annelies Pool of Holland and Stuart McGill of Canada.

Dr McGill will look at back risk injury in the workplace as well as sports such as weight lifting and rowing. Dr Pool will present work in relation to pelvic pain in women following childbirth to women and Dr O’Sullivan will raise the issue of back pain among less active children.

ENDS

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