Pharmacies that get involved with Backcare Awareness Week will help their customers better understand back pain and how to combat it

It’s a rare and lucky person who gets through their life without experiencing back pain. It’s incredibly common, with around one-third of the UK adult population being affected by lower back pain each year. And some 20 per cent of these people will seek advice from their GP.

Pain relief is one of the most commonly requested OTC medicine categories in UK pharmacies, which puts pharmacies in a great position to raise awareness of how to prevent and treat back pain on a more general basis. A good way to do this is to support Backcare Awareness Week, which this year runs from 5-11 October, and is organised by BackCare, the charity for healthier backs.

Campaigning for kids

This year’s campaign centres on back pain in children and, in particular, the school environment. Dr Adam Al-Kashi, BackCare’s head of research and education, says that the charity will be highlighting research that has been conducted on this topic as well as announcing trials of evidence-based programmes in UK schools. “Children are not covered by the same kind of legislation designed to protect adults at work,” he explains.

Much of the guidance that office workers follow is equally applicable to schoolchildren – for example, making sure computer equipment is positioned correctly, using a separate keyboard and mouse when using a laptop, and adopting a good sitting posture. School bags can also be a source of back pain for children, so providing advice on using backpacks rather than shoulder bags, and looking at ways to minimise the load being carried, perhaps by using a locker, is a good idea.

The secondary theme of this year’s Backcare Awareness Week is child carers. Dr Al-Kashi points out: “The UK is home to around three-quarters of a million child and teenage carers looking after a parent or other loved one.” Again, much of the information aimed at adult carers is relevant for young people, in terms of manual handling if they are involved in bathing duties or carrying heavy loads (e.g. when doing the shopping), but also with regard to managing stress, which can manifest as back pain and aching muscles.

Long-term effects

Another major focus of this year’s campaign is the longer-term problems that can arise as a result of back pain, the most obvious being prolonged discomfort and, potentially, reduced mobility. But issues such as depression and inappropriate use of pain relief medication, particularly the stronger opioids such as codeine, can be just as debilitating. Add to that the risk of becoming unemployed as a result of chronic back pain – which affects both the economy and society in multiple ways – and the sheer scale of what initially may have been regarded as “just a niggle” starts to come into focus.

Many cases of back pain resolve on their own, with simple self-care measures such as remaining active, using heat or cold packs, and taking OTC painkillers being the mainstay of management. Some of the more common serious conditions are listed in the panel below. Backcare Awareness Week also provides the perfect opportunity to offer information on preventing back pain, using simple interventions such as wearing flat shoes with cushioned soles, taking regular exercise, reducing stress levels, and losing weight if needed.