Is Your Job a Pain in the Neck (or Lower Back)?

Back pain is one of the most common causes of workplace absences. On the other hand, many occupations actually foster back pain. On-the-job accidents can result in painful injuries to the neck area (cervical spine) or lower back (lumbar spine), but such cases are in the minority. More often, on-the-job back pain results from a gradual buildup of things like muscle tension, poor posture due to lack of awareness and exercise, or facet joint deterioration. I want to focus on facet joint pain.
 

Pain from deteriorating facet joints

The small, cartilage-lined facet joints between each backbone (vertebra) enable movement while protectively limiting range of motion and cushioning impact. Over time, the cartilage may begin to wear down, leading to bone-on-bone compression. Many nerves that branch off the spinal cord pass through or near facet joints, and compression may cause pressure on them. The neck and lower back are most vulnerable. The consequence is pain ranging from a chronic ache to occasional agony radiating outward.
 

Occupational hazards for facet joint pain

Many jobs involve daily tasks and activities that place extra burdens on the spine. Lifting, pulling, carrying, stair-climbing, jolting motions, sudden surges of motion, and long hours on one’s feet create far more wear and tear than desk jobs. A 2017 study that compared facet joint deterioration between firefighters and hospital office workers illustrates this: the occupational demands of the firefighters’ work put them at significantly greater risk for facet joint deterioration than those of the office workersⁱ.
 

Prevention on the job

Workplace safety should include awareness of chronic or repetitive strain on the spinal column. Absenteeism is unpredictable and costly. Assistive lifting devices as well as encouraging the use of breaks to stretch and relax back muscles go far toward protecting workers from spinal deterioration. It costs employers relatively little to raise awareness (newsletters, posters or other reminders) or take a few lunch break minutes to offer postural education or training reminders on the right way to lift heavy objects. Yet such measures make sense in terms of health-related economies.

As Americans live longer, some facet joint deterioration inevitably occurs due to aging. However, jobs that hasten such erosion are a fact of life for millions of workers. Facet joint pain, whether due to occupation or simply getting older, often responds to simple measures like improved posture, physical therapy and medication. If these no longer work, contact the Sperling Medical Group to learn about MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS), a noninvasive, durable treatment to relieve facet pain.

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ⁱKim DH, An YS, Kim HD, Jeong KS et al. Comparison of facet joint degeneration in firefighters and hospital office workers. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2017 Jun 24;29:24. doi: 10.1186/s40557-017-0180-1. eCollection 2017.