Practicing regular physical activity can reduce neck pain, especially for people who work in an office.
- Regular physical activity could reduce neck pain.
- The authors assure that a physical activity program implemented in a company reduces by half the number of employees who suffer from neck pain.
- 16% of French people who practice physical activity do so in a professional context.
Around 2/3 of the French population are affected in their life by a painful episode of the neck, according to the High Authority for Health (HAS). This can have significant consequences on the quality of life, particularly when these ailments come from postures adopted at work, as can be the case for people who work in front of a computer in an office and remain seated for a long time.
Physical activity cuts neck pain in half
But a study may have the solution to reduce this pain: regular exercise. The researchers’ work, published in the journal Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, show that physical activity can reduce neck pain, also called cervical pain, by half, especially among office workers. To achieve this result, scientists studied data from 1,722 participants.
“For businesses, the message is clear: if 100 people work in an office, around 30 of them will suffer from neck pain over the next year, Daniel Belavy, one of the authors, in a communicated. But, if an exercise program is implemented, this figure almost halves, to 17 out of 100. Of course, these programs also have other benefits for staff and the company.”
Physical activity is also good for business
Reduction of risks of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, increase in muscle mass, benefits on the bone system… Indeed, as indicated byWorld Health Organization (WHO), regular practice is beneficial for overall health. For adults aged 18 to 64, it is recommended to do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity sport or 75 to 150 minutes of sustained intensity per week.
But the fact that employees practice sports regularly also benefits companies. According to French Federation of Business Sport (FFSE), this reduces absenteeism (by 32%), strengthens team spirit, improves productivity (from 6 to 9% per employee) and the company’s brand image. Thus, some offer it within their premises and 1.5 million French people – or 16% – practicing physical activity do so in a professional context.
