Dealing With Back Spasms In The Workplace

A back spasm can be painful and often alarming. They are contractions of the back muscles. Muscles spasms in the back are often caused by twisting or a sprain in the back muscles, which causes involuntary contractions in the muscles. Back pains can be categorized on two different levels, such as acute and chronic. Acute back pain is short term normally lasting a week. Chronic back pain normally can last for months. Employees can take off several days from work because of the back pain that they have. When you have people taking off time, they will reduce productivity and they will cause morale issues to occur.

When back muscles become tight and tense it can also happen. The most common causes of the pain are:
- A sneeze
- A cough
- Incorrect posture (slouching)
- Over usage of the back muscles
- Injury
- Dehydration
- Lifting heavy objects

A back spasm can be avoided by stretching. Most people stretch improperly by stretching muscles that aren't quite ready to stretch. Maintaining a comfortable position and stretching until resistance is felt is the proper way to stretch. Yoga is a form of exercise recommended by doctors to help release stress and ease pains. Avoiding abrupt sudden movements can also decrease the risk of having muscle contractions in the back.

As an employer you can help out by providing your employees with proper chairs and floor mats for them to stand on. There are several things you can purchase for office ergonomics from desks to keyboards and even chairs. It's a good idea to consider investing your money into the right type of things that will be able to give your employees relief from back pain. Of course there are medical treatments as well.

There are many treatments recommended by health care professionals. Sitting, laying down, gentle stretches, massaging the muscles and deep breathing are all ways to help relieve back pain. Ice and heat therapy are recommended by doctors when the pains become chronic and severe. Ice therapy reduces swelling, and relieves pain. It's effective for the first 48 to 72 hours and is followed by heat therapy.
The methods given are not for everyone depending on the severity of the pain. If the pain becomes continuous and difficult to bear seeing a doctor is advised. Medication can be prescribed over the counter by a doctor to help ease the pain to a level that can be less painful for the patient. If back pain goes untreated it can become very serious.

A back spasm can become so severe that surgery is required. Sudden bowel dysfunction, weakness in the legs, and continuous back pain are all symptoms that show signs of possible needs for surgery. If there is any moment where a pain in the back lasts for more than two days medical attention is advised and you need to recommend your employees to see a doctor. If you have an on-site nurse, you should send your employees to them immediately if they have back pain that is getting worse.

Your employees may need to take time off and may actually need to claim disability benefits because of the back pain they are experiencing. This is why it is so important to take the time to properly clean the workplace and to train your employees so they don't have an accident that leads to the back pain and spasms. You also need to go around and consider changing machinery and other things if the employees end up doing a lot of bending and lifting to get their jobs done properly.