Musculoskeletal disorders

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for a sizeable slice of sickness absence and workers with MSDs face many barriers to job satisfaction, job mobility and access to training, according to labour market research organisation the Work Foundation. In Taking the strain: the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on work and home life (2012), the Work Foundation found that a quarter of those surveyed were in fear of losing their job, and concerns led to people downplaying their medical conditions to their employers.

Among the report’s major findings were:

• over half (52%) of respondents believed having an MSD affected their choice of job;

• more than two-thirds (68%) felt they could not change jobs because of their condition, while a similar proportion (69%) stated that their condition affected their job satisfaction;

• more than one-third (35%) said it affected their access to training opportunities;

• almost three-quarters of respondents who had retired stated that their condition had influenced their decision to retire;

• of those classifying themselves as retired, (71%) left the labour market before they turned 60 years old; and

• of those who were permanently sick or disabled, 63% were aged under 55.

The report also noted that chronic muscular pain is undiagnosed in 42% of cases. And other MSDs such as spondyloarthropathies (SpAs — joint diseases) are often misdiagnosed by GPs as simply sports injuries. Less than half of respondents reported getting advice from their GP on coping with their MSDs at work.

www.theworkfoundation.com/DownloadPublication/Report/326_FFW%20UK%20survey%20FINAL.pdf