Advice, devices don't help worker back pain

HELSINKI, Finland, July 20 (UPI) -- A Finnish researcher found that employer responses to back pain -- programs offering advice and devices -- do not prevent work-related back pain.

"Not effective," was the verdict of lead author Kari-Pekka Martimo, of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki.

The reviewers examined data from more than 18,000 employees. The advice and devices did not prevent back pain or reduce disability claims or sick leave, according to a review published in The Cochrane Library.

One explanation for the negative findings could be that "safer" lifting techniques do not really exist -- so teaching particular tactics would be unlikely to help, according to Martimo.

"Another possibility is that elevated risk for back pain might not be related to lifting or moving heavy objects themselves, but to other aspects of work," Martimo said in a statement.

One complication of considering that there is a "correct" lifting technique is that "when an employee has back pain, there's a tendency to blame the victim because he didn't use the techniques or devices correctly, according to Martimo.