The Cost of MSDs

With an ageing workforce and an expectation to carry on working for longer than ever, we look at the impacts MSDs have on businesses and their workforce.

Musculoskeletal problems are a common and costly public health issue. Affecting 14.9 million people nationally, the NHS spends £5 billion annually (more than £13 million a day) treating and supporting people with musculoskeletal conditions, causing muscle, joint and ligament pain.

While there's a direct healthcare cost associated with work-related MSDs and the risk of compensation costs, there's also disruption to workforce productivity, plus the cost of new hires to replace MSD sufferers who can no longer work.

MSDs are the leading cause of sick days due to work-related ill health in the UK. In 2019 it was reported 28 million working days were lost to MSDs (22% of total sickness absence).¹

It's estimated that MSDs caused or made worse by work affect almost 500,000 workers (30% of all work-related ill health).²

With an average of 18 days lost per person, that's almost 9 million sick days UK businesses are footing the bill for.

Work-related MSDs are most prevalent in occupations that involve heavy lifting, working in awkward positions, repetitive and intricate tasks - aspects which filter into most modern-day vocations. Although health and safety risk assessments help to reduce some injuries, more needs to be done to tackle the issue and reduce long term conditions.

Read more about which workers are most at risk from MSDs

Without proper prevention and management, MSDs can have severe financial and economic consequences for a business

It's little surprise then that treating and preventing MSDs is often a key focus for organisations and occupational health teams, with budgets set aside to accommodate absenteeism and finance preventative measures and treatments.

Good musculoskeletal health is vital for your workers to continue to function and carry out their daily tasks. Taking active steps to protect and care for your staff will help ensure they can continue working for you for many years to come. As well as investing in prevention and management programmes like the FLX app, there are plenty of other steps employers can take to help their workforce stay fit and well.

To effectively target musculoskeletal health in the workplace, you need to take a proactive approach that includes protection and prevention, including:

• Raise awareness of MSDs through training sessions
• Promote a healthy lifestyle and the importance of exercise and fitness
• Offer workstation assessments
• Ensure your risk assessment procedures are thorough and fit for purpose
• Promote a supportive environment in which employees can raise concerns about their musculoskeletal health

Better understanding how MSDs effect your employees can help you offer the support they need.

While many people with an MSD experience a low level of pain and stiffness and reduced range of motion, others can suffer from pain that quickly worsens and results in limited movement, dexterity and disability.

Although not life-threatening, they can have a devastating impact on every aspect of a sufferer's life, resulting in overall lower levels of well-being and a reduced ability to participate in society.

Family life can change; MSD sufferers may find they cannot be as active with their children, grandchildren or partners as they once were and completing everyday tasks such as standing up while cooking can even prove painful.

Reduced mobility from MSD pain can also impact a person’s leisure life, including not being able to go for walks or play sport. This has potential for a broader knock-on effect; lower activity levels are linked to many other health issues, including cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, cognitive ability and mental health problems.

Although reduced mobility is a functional issue, the physical limitations and stress of coping with a painful condition day after day can take an emotional toll and even lead to serious mental health problems.

The relationship between MSDs and poor mental health can become cyclical; pain and lifestyle changes negatively affect mental health, and stress reduces the body’s ability to function correctly. Research also shows depression is highest among patients in chronic pain; in particular, those with an MSD reported higher rates of depression. Without proper treatment and support it’s a vicious cycle.

In addition to the physical and mental impact, the economic impacts of MSDs are also clear: only 59% of people of working age with an MSK condition are in work.³ For those who can’t return to work or are forced to retire early the financial consequences are serious.

Over-the-counter drugs like Ibuprofen and Aspirin are often the first port of call for sufferers. While these medications can help manage the pain, they tend to mask the problem rather than resolve the issue.

Although MSDs are frequently thought to be an unavoidable part of the ageing process, regular exercise and physiotherapy techniques can help avoid many problems.

Untreated musculoskeletal issues can be excruciating and disabling, but helping your employees understand it is possible to live a healthy, happy life with the proper care and preventative steps will go a long way in supporting them to continue working for you effectively for many years to come.

Find out more about the causes of musculoskeletal disorders and how to prevent them in this article