2023-06-12 08:47:36
In France, 69% of people aged 16 or over report being in good or very good health. On the other hand, 9% describe their condition as bad or very bad. The grounds for appealing to doctor to maintain or improve this well-being may vary according to many factors – age, sex, geographical region or even the season, since some are more conducive to epidemics.
If the respiratory conditions (colds, bronchitis, etc.) are one of the most common reasons for consultation, musculoskeletal disorders, including back pain and joint problems, are also very common… and at all ages. Indeed, although often associated with adult pain, these pains also largely affect children and adolescents.
Numbers hurt your back more specifically low back pain), the “Evil of the Century” in the 20th century – and again in the 21st century. According to the National Institute for Research and Safety’s Low Back Pain Task Force (INRS) for the prevention of accidents at work and occupational diseases, according to the reports from the High Authority for Health (2019) et health insurance (2017), almost 4 out of 5 people will one day suffer from low back pain:
The latter represent the second reason for recourse to the attending physician and the third cause of disability admission for the general scheme; 20% of work accidents are caused by this type of pain related to manual handling (50%) and falls (10%); 12 million working days are lost each year in France due to low back pain (INRS 2022 report, “Lumbal pain. Understanding them, preventing them”)
An illness that also affects children and adolescents
These values mainly concern employees. THE economic implications are therefore colossal, with a direct cost of more than one billion euros per year (care, daily allowancesafter-effects, etc.) and indirect up to 10 times higher (administrative management, search for replacements, additional training, maintenance of contract deadlines, loss of productivity, etc.).
But back pain is not a problem public health reserved for adults: more and more children and adolescents suffer from it also, with 25% of children aged 10 to 15 complaining about it. There is, within the framework of the school medicinemedical examinations and regular screenings, especially during certain key years, such as entering kindergarten, preparatory course, 6th and second.
The causes of such a development are multiple, numerous and above all difficult to correct because they correspond to daily habits already assimilated:
- bad postures various, maintained for a long time in places of transport, education and entertainment;
- fatigue due to lack of sleep (a 6-year-old child needs about 11 hours of rest, a teenager 8 to 9 hours) and stressful restlessness;
- poorly designed satchels or bags still too heavy (17% of body weight in middle school);
- rise in overweight and obesity;
- weak abdominal and lumbar sheathing, due to an insufficiency or even the absence of practice of physical activities.
It is estimated that up to 50% of children and adolescents will experience back pain at some point. The consequences are twofold: on the one hand, they can have a negative impact on their quality of life and their ability to participate in physical and social activities; on the other hand they increase the risk that they will suffer from it in adulthood.
The importance of prevention
Like adults, children and adolescents know, having heard them many times, the ergonomic recommendations to avoid putting excessive strain on the back. The website of Ministry of Education and youth is also carrying out preferred instructions concerning the weight of the school bag, lifestyle habits, postures to adopt when working on a table… or on your sofa or bed at home.
In general, here is advice valid in all circumstances:
- most often maintain a posture by keeping the back straight and fixed;
- avoid torsion when handling loads;
- lift objects by bringing your supports as close as possible to minimize the levers of resistance, use the leg muscles (strong compared to those of the rest of the body) by bending to better exploit them;
- avoid lifting excessively heavy loads alone, by getting help from partners or by using handling equipment that facilitates the work;
- always distribute the loads to be transported fairly;
- respect breaks and become aware of work overload and physical fatigue;
- with build muscle in order to maintain a good physical condition by regularly practicing adequate exercises – in particular for the muscles of the back, abdominals and legs. The more our muscles are developed, the less likely we are to sustain injuries.
However, while the combination of good ergonomic practices, caution and common sense is most often well understood on a theoretical level, their enforcement in everyday life – with its own constraints – is much more risky… Maintaining postures, good management of body movements, lifting and carrying loads are rarely respected…
The real problem lies in the articulation of this prevention knowledgebodily safety and their application at all times.
Public health policy in France addresses different aspects of the prevention of back pain. However, it is difficult to assess its effectiveness, especially for a young audience.
This question arises for raising awareness of good postures from an early age… but also for the effectiveness of medical care, rehabilitation and professional reintegration,physical activityl’ergonomics at worktaking prevention into account in public policies and even research and innovation.
Actions at school level?
To combat this scourge, it is important to continue to improve prevention policies and actions. Significant promotional work remains to be carried out via a multidisciplinary approach involving different actors such as health professionals, schools and individuals to encourage healthy behaviors and reduce the risk of back pain.
More specificly, teaching physical education and sports (EPS) can play a vital role in prevention in children and adolescents. In addition to the direct benefits they will derive in terms of quality of life in the short term, the positive consequences will stretch into their adult life.
Prevention, but then good integration and the use of adequate physical practices to protect or relieve your back is not a matter of a few gestures or a given period. We must be aware of the long-term importance of all these factors, despite the “rehashing” side that there may be in their repetition!
But appropriate muscle strengthening or the optimization of gestures, postures and movements are not anecdotal: they are major aids for a life without back pain, and sometimes it does not take much to “help yourself”. Lead a life as less sedentary as possible, diversify your daily activities, favor a balanced diet… are so many simple gestures that have proven their worth.
This requires that the child himself understands the reasons for the recommendations made to him – that they become a choice, and not an abstract constraint (and painful)… He already knows that remaining slouched and passive long periods in front of a screenn, smoking or having reduced physical activity, poor diet and little sleep are not “good” for him. He must be given the means to make a conscious decision to adopt good practices… which will benefit him all his life.
This article is produced by The Conversation and hosted by 20 Minutes.
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