CHB 2.2.3: “The Begin of a Back Pain Pandemic?”

Data on Musculoskeletal Health and Pain

When combining physical inactivity, with poor nutritional habits, worsened mental health and inadequate working environments due to remote work, short-term effects such as acute changes to the body and its compositions are likely to occur (Kirwan et al., 2020), inherently increasing the risk for developing conditions and therefore increase overall mortality and morbidity risks (Patterson et al., 2018; Vina et al., 2012). One condition of particular interest in the working environment is MSKd and its forms, representing one the leading causes for absence at work (Beroepsziekten, 2020; Volksgezondheidenzorg, 2020). As such, to maintain functional, social and economic independency, musculoskeletal health is essential to facilitate human mobility, function and work-ability as well as participation in all aspects of life (Woolf & Akesson, 2020). However, Briggs et al. (2020) noted an increasing prevalence of MSKd and therefore recognizes the burden of this condition as a challenge for global health policies. Concerningly, within the working population, spinal pain is considered as one most frequent health problems worldwide (Moretti et al., 2020) and the ergonomics of a workplace appear to play a major role. In fact, a study by Moretti et al. (2020) investigated the home environment of a home working population during COVID-19 confinements and observed a lack of ergonomic equipment for many individuals. These observations have led authors to conclude higher risks for developing or worsening symptoms of MSKd such as neck and low-back pain, in particular when combined with physical inactivity and increased sedentariness. In fact, Kakar & Lomond (2020) argued that the COVID-19 pandemic would have the potential to lead to another pandemic of back pain. As such, they reported a 34.6% increase in pain since the beginning of remote working of all participants, of which 78% being attributed to low back pain and 56% to neck pain (Kakar & Lomond, 2020) and claim that social and economic burdens of these conditions may increase post COVID-19 as remote-work continues. In agreement with these findings, a survey done in the UK reported an increase of 52.1% of MSK symptoms, i.e. neck and low-back pain, following COVID-19 confinements (Smith et al., 2020). Another study by Fallon et al. (2020) reported a significant increase in pain severity for people with chronic pain (p < 0.001) as well as a significant relation of perceptions increased pain to perceived decreases in PA (ß = 0.15, p < 0.001). Indeed, pain may be exacerbated due to physical inactivity and sedentariness, which inherently promotes physical deconditioning, ultimately developing fear avoidance behavior to disengage further from PA (Leeuw et al., 2006). In further support, Nieto et al. (2020) observed a perceived aggravation of pain in pain-related outcomes such as neck and low-back pain.