An alternative approach to the prevention and treatment of sore back at the work place

Sa？etak Sore back is one of the most common causes of absence from work in Croatia and worldwide. Only in the past year 32,000 workers were temporarily disabled due to sore back. The cost of this to the workers, employers, the health care and retirement fund are enormous. Prevention is imperative to reduce the incidence and duration of this health problem. Prevention measures must be put in place at the work place itself, as the work place can be directly responsible for the sore back syndrome but it can also indirectly contribute to the existing condition caused by other factors. The prevention and treatment of sore back still predominantly relies on the biomedical model. In this model, the affliction is attributed exclusively to organic causes. Over the years, this model has proven effective in cases of acute disease but ineffective in chronic disorders such as sore back. Chronic diseases are multifactorial and thus for them the biopychosocial model seems to be a more adequate path for follow. According to this model, sore back is caused by an interaction of physiological, psychological and social factors where the severity of symptoms and the degree of disability are in direct correspondence with this interaction. In short, psychological and social factors affect a patient's reaction to the organic disorder. If complete cure of the organic disorder is not feasible, the return to the usual daily activities and work are considered a successful outcome. The biopsychosocial model includes proven measures such as education addressing all three aspects of the pain (biomedical, psychological and social), physical activity tailored to suit the individual, and adjustments made to the work place to help the health status of the worker