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ADVICE
FOR
SUDDEN
NECK
OR
LOWER
BACK
PAIN
Neck and low back pain
are common and will
affect over 80% of us at
some point in our lives.
Back pain in particular is
one of the main causes
of absenteeism at work.
Sudden or ʻacuteʼ onset
of neck and low back
pain is therefore a
common occurrence.
Your return back to normal can be helped by following some of the
simple guidelines below:
Stay active and if possible try to continue with normal daily
activities
Try and avoid bed rest. Keeping the neck and back moving
with gentle exercise is better than resting it
Avoid sustained positions such as sitting for too long. Try
and alter your body position every 20 minutes.
Avoid heavy lifting and prolonged or awkward postures, e.g.
twisting, long car journeys
Depending on the type of work you do it is normally best to remain at
work or return as soon as possible. It might mean discussing with your
employer restricted duties or less hours but it is important that you stay
engaged with the working environment.
Gradually and progressively increase physical activities. As pain sub-
sides be especially careful. Your back is still recovering but it isn’t telling
you about it as much. Avoid falling back into bad habits such as poor
posture / manual handling.
Seek further medical attention immediately if you
experience or develop :
Severe pain in the back
Bladder or bowel problems (such as incontinence)
Altered sensations such as pins and needles in the legs, buttock or
pelvic region
Numbness around the inner thighs and genital area
Weakness of the lower extremities
exercise
prescriber
.com
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