We’ve all had back pain before and know how debilitating it can be. When your back is throbbing, it can be difficult to think of anything but the pain, but have you ever considered how your back pain might actually be affecting more than just your body?

It should seem pretty obvious, but back pain can also affect your productivity at work. You might not care about that at first thought, but the consequences can be pretty devastating. If you’re not careful about addressing back pain, you can completely unravel your work potential and cause your career to take a nosedive. Here, we'll go over some of the ways back pain ruins your ability to perform at work.

Back Pain Affects Your Physical and Cognitive Health

What’s the most obvious negative about back pain? The pain, of course! It’s no secret that back pain is primarily debilitating in a physical way, but the effects it can have on your body and mind are likely much more far-ranging than you think. Back pain has a massive impact on your muscular and skeletal system, as these are the primary parts of your body involved in the pain. Over time, back pain can result in severe medical conditions like nerve damage, herniated discs, and even muscle atrophy.

Physically, back pain is most annoying because it reduces your ability to move around, as you feel stiff and tight from whatever is causing the problem. This might affect your ability to perform tasks at work, from lifting and moving around, or even simply tasks like typing. Additionally, back pain can impact your ability to concentrate, as your pain can distract you and make you more likely to make mistakes. Pain can also sap your strength, reducing your energy and drive to get things done. All of these physical effects can ruin your work life, making it impossible to co-work effectively with others.

How Your Mental Health and Emotional State Can Suffer From Back Pain

Back pain isn’t just a body killer; it ruins your mental state as well. Constant pains make us frustrated and irritable, because no one likes to be in pain, and when you’re hurting, even normal conversation in the workplace can feel intrusive and bothersome. As a result of your pain, you might become harder to work with, putting your position at risk and even leading to job loss.

The longer your pain goes on, the more likely you are to feel depressed and anxious. You may feel sad and upset that you aren’t performing well or can't kick the pain. You might worry that your irritability is making your coworkers dislike you. You might start to be afraid of every little movement you make, or even waking up every day, not knowing what will trigger your pain or make it worse.

Back pain can cause you to isolate yourself, retreating into privacy out of fear and the desire to avoid impacting others negatively. While having a good private workspace is essential for good productivity, if you get too isolated, you’ll be cut off from co-workers and find it even harder to work.

What Effects Can Your Back Pain Have on Workplace Productivity?

Aside from the physical, mental, and emotional consequences of back pain, there are many ways it can manifest in your work life specifically. If your back is hurting, it might interfere with your ability to work altogether, causing you to call out sick often on flare-up days. The more time you spend out of work because of your pain, the more likely your employer is to feel like it’s time to move on, and that, of course, means you’ll be out of a job.

Even worse than calling out sick, however, is the possibility that your back pain might strike while you’re actually at work. In that case, you might feel forced to stay in the office and work through the pain, inevitably leading to poorer performance and more mistakes that will have a ripple effect on your company. On the whole, back pain will also just make you more likely to hate work itself, lowering your motivation, making you more prone to errors, and generally sapping your will and energy.

How To Counter the Effects of Back Pain at Work

Fortunately, you don’t have to suffer endlessly with back pain at work! There are things you can do, both at home and in the office, to change your work life and put back pain behind you (pun intended)!

First of all, don’t underestimate the value of a proper, ergonomic workspace. A good chair with proper support, decent lighting, and an effective setup for personal devices is the best physical step you can take to fix back pain at your workplace. With proper ergonomic support, you’ll be able to keep your back pain from worsening, preventing damage and sustaining your long-term mobility.

Naturally, you should see a doctor or chiropractor if your back pain is severe. Don’t wait for it to get so bad that you can barely think! Early treatment and medical consultation is the key to preventing long-term problems.

Another often-overlooked strategy is to bring your coworkers into the mix. Making your fellow workers aware of your limitations can help them work with you, rather than in ignorance. Anything they can do to redistribute tasks in a way that maximizes everyone’s productivity will be helpful in the long run.

In Conclusion…

Self-care is one of the most important aspects of work, whether you’re at home or in an office. You might think that back pain is an inevitability of life, but it doesn’t have to be back-breaking. You can and should try to find a way to work within your physical limitations. Neglecting your back pain and letting it linger is one of the worst things you can do for your productivity. Don’t let it overwhelm you, because it’s a regret that often can’t be fixed once it’s too late!

About the author

Sherjan Husainie is the Founder of KIRO,  the world’s most advanced chiropractic brand. He studied Aerospace Engineering at the University of Toronto and Financial Engineering at UCLA Anderson. Before founding KIRO, Sherjan worked at Google and was a Vice President in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley. His mission is to make modern, accessible chiropractic care available to 100 million members globally.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherjan