New Delhi: Backaches caused by rides on public transportation and long hours before computers coupled with smoking and drinking are the main reason for absences from work among urban Indian youth, a study has said.
Backaches are the chief reason for the absence of workers that accounts for losses of several million man-hours, the study commissioned by the makers of Iodex, a pain relieving balm, and the NGO Health India.
The report says backache, once thought to affect people at the age of 40 years, is now increasingly being reported among the youth.
"Public transport is the predominant cause for backache among working individuals in major metros along with sitting for long hours in front of the computer," said Dev Mehra, Executive Director of Health India, which surveyed work places in Mumbai and Delhi, covering over 100 people.
He said sudden jerks or movements during travel can result in back pain.
"The problem was considered to affect people after the age of 40, but now increasingly young people are complaining of back problems. Poor ergonomics at the workplace is one of the causes of the problem," he said.
Mehra said faulty posture remains the single biggest cause for back pain (60-70 per cent) while alcohol, smoking and high coffee intake are very high in the list of substances that cause bone calcium to deplete, thereby contributing to backaches.
The study said while two per cent of those surveyed avoided taking any sort of medication, 32 per cent of Delhites took painkillers, while 24 per cent resorted to multiple medication to cure this problem.
Commuting, according to the study contributes to the problem in more ways than one. "The type of vehicle used, the quality of the roads and the average time of travel — all have a multiplier effect on the back," it said.
The study said, "In a country where half of the work force is young and a major chunk of the young workers are empolyed in software and BPO-releated jobs, the occurrence of the problem becomes obvious."
"This problem is ever increasing in our fast-paced life and is assuming alarming proportions," the report said.
According to Arvind Jaiswal, an orthopedic at AIIMS, back pain is one of the hardest things to treat. It is also one of the most difficult to diagnose.
Psychological factors are, in some people, a very potent cause of backache. "It is difficult to predict which patient is going to do well," he said.
"Our spine includes a number of muscles that may get pressurised due to bad postures. Women in general are more prone to this problem," he said.
"Our OPD experience has shown that an increasing number of young professionals are suffering from it, with people from the IT and the BPO sectors among the worst hit," he said.
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