[Preventing chronic back pain at the workplace: action-research at the workplace]. 2008

Anne-Marie Begué-Simon, and Jacques Chaperon
Faculté de Médecine, Département de Santé Publique, RENNES, 2 av du Pr Léon Bernard, 35043 Rennes Cedex. ambegue@univ-rennes1.fr

An intervention to prevent chronic back pain and muscular-skeletal disorder (MSD) was implemented in the second half of 2003 at an automobile factory targeting employees from the cable construction division who were redeployed internally to a another division of the plant. This action-research consisted of exploring the benefits of establishing specialized gym classes for back exercises and re-education at the workplace to help prevent chronic lower back pain. Employees who had previously reported lower back pain that was either slightly disabling to none incapacitating and those who were in-line to be redeployed to another division were all offered the opportunity to undertake a medical exam and physical therapy check-up and to respond to a self-administered questionnaire in order to assess the functional state of of each employee, his perception of pain, and the manifestation and impact of this in daily life. Employees were oriented to appropriate gym and physical therapy classes for re-educating and improving back strength under the supervision of a physical therapist. As a follow-up to this, in between sessions, the workers were invited to redo the assessment tests in order to assess and appraise the value of the effects of the exercises. The action-research carried out in the workplace shows a positive contribution of the gym classes specialized for back exercises and re-education training to the improvement of the status of those persons suffering from lower back pain. In addition, placing employees in new professional positions following their completion of these gym and physicals therapy sessions proves to be essential for validating the acquisition of knowledge gained and the commitment to adjusting to the job position.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D009784 Occupational Diseases Diseases caused by factors involved in one's employment. Diseases, Occupational,Occupational Illnesses,Disease, Occupational,Illnesse, Occupational,Illnesses, Occupational,Occupational Disease,Occupational Illnesse
D002908 Chronic Disease Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2). Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001416 Back Pain Acute or chronic pain located in the posterior regions of the THORAX; LUMBOSACRAL REGION; or the adjacent regions. Backache,Back Ache,Back Pain with Radiation,Back Pain without Radiation,Vertebrogenic Pain Syndrome,Ache, Back,Aches, Back,Back Aches,Back Pains,Backaches,Pain Syndrome, Vertebrogenic,Pain Syndromes, Vertebrogenic,Pain, Back,Pains, Back,Syndrome, Vertebrogenic Pain,Syndromes, Vertebrogenic Pain,Vertebrogenic Pain Syndromes
D035843 Biomedical Research Research that involves the application of the natural sciences, especially biology and physiology, to medicine. Medical Research,Experimental Medicine,Investigational Medicine,Investigative Medicine,Research, Biomedical,Research, Medical,Medicine, Experimental,Medicine, Investigational,Medicine, Investigative

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