Paraprofessional diseases of office workers in most cases concern the musculoskeletal system. Office work requires many hours of sitting, which puts a lot of strain on the spine. Improper posture leads to the gradual development of degenerative changes in various sections of the spine.

60-80% of adults complain of back pain. The condition affects the employee’s efficiency – it results in frequent dismissals and absenteeism from work.

Long hours spent at a desk in one forced position are not indifferent to the condition of the spine. Most often, office workers complain of back pain from sitting for long hours at the computer. Working at a computer and related diseases are closely related to taking an incorrect position – it has a negative impact on the load on the spine. The load on the spine in different positions may affect the entire spine or its sections.

The sitting position alone is enough to put strain on the lumbar spine. When sitting in front of a computer, we very often lean our body forward, which puts a strain on the vertebrae. For the comfort of your back, it is worth getting a backrest set at an angle of 120 degrees. In addition, you should not tilt your head forward – this position has a huge impact on the load on the cervical spine. On average, the head of an adult weighs 4-5 kilograms. Its inclination by 15 degrees forward increases the weight that the spine has to carry – up to 12 kilograms.

The list of degenerative diseases of the spine is long. Degenerative conditions of the spine are accompanied by pain and limitation of movement. Numbness and tingling in the limbs may occur. The most common spinal disorders of office workers include:

• degenerative disease of the lumbar spine – progressive and irreversible damage to the structures of the spine;
• lumbago – gunshot, i.e. sudden and severe pain in the sacro-lumbar area;
• discopathy – pain accompanied by sensory disturbances, weakness, numbness, and sometimes paralysis of the limbs;
• sciatica – severe pain that radiates from the sacrolumbar spine to the penultimate toe of the foot;
• Overload-pain syndrome – these are chronic back pain of varying intensity.

Only the introduction of good habits at work can reduce the risk of irreversible degeneration of the spine. The most important habits are:

• correct body position at the desk;
• ergonomic workstation (chair, desk, properly positioned monitor);
• regular, several-minute breaks to get moving.

It is the employer’s responsibility to provide employees who spend long periods of time at their desks with five-minute breaks every hour. In addition, employees should be provided with ergonomic workstations. Office workers can also be provided with adequate health care by purchasing appropriate health insurance policies, where a comprehensive service with X-rays and spinal MRIs is guaranteed, as well as consultations with a neurologist and orthopedist.

In addition to diseases defined as occupational – indicated in the annex to the Regulation on occupational diseases – the doctrine distinguishes the so-called occupational diseases – para-occupational, which are defined in the Labour Code as „other work-related diseases” (Article 227 § 1 point 1 of the Labour Code). Paraprofessional diseases are not included in the regulation, but are also caused by working conditions. Spinal pain syndromes are increasingly included among such diseases.

An employee suffering from a para-occupational illness is not entitled to social security compensation or other claims directly related to occupational diseases. According to the case law, an employee who has suffered an injury as a result of an illness caused by the prevailing working conditions which is not an occupational disease may, pursuant to Article 300 of the Labour Code, pursue claims for compensation from the workplace under the provisions of civil law within the limits provided for in the Act of 12 June 1975 on benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases.

The Supreme Court is of the opinion that the employer’s liability towards an employee for a tort consisting in causing a health disorder (Article 444 § 1 and Article 445 § 1 of the Civil Code) also covers the effects of a disease which is not an occupational disease caused by working conditions, known as an occupational or paraprofessional disease.

Source: https://kadry.infor.pl/bhp/choroby-zawodowe/6138388,choroby-parazawodowe-kregoslupa-na-co-choruje-kregoslup-pracownika-bi.html

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.