Did you know that one of the leading causes for employees missing work is lower back pain? Low back pain exercise is a way to help alleviate the pain, and they do not take a perfect deal of time to complete. As an employer I have several employees that sit at a desk for the majority of each day. At times they also have to move boxes of supplies that are over 25 pounds. I have noticed that this combination leads to back pain complaints from several of my employees. I have also experienced this pain when I am helping out in the office. I decided that I would provide incentives for my employees to take part in a back pain exercise program. These incentives are more cost effective than paying sick days and insurance coverage for medical appointments.



I hired a yoga instructor to come into the office and show all my employees some simple low back pain exercise that they can do at their desk areas. The instructor had simple charts that showed each back pain exercise step by step. I had one of these charts enlarged and placed it in the lunchroom area. This helps as a reminder throughout the day to complete the simple stretching and repositioning that makes up the majority of low back pain exercise. The instructor explained that the main reason employees were feeling pain in their lower back was due to going from sitting in one position to lifting, without warming the muscles. By completing the simple warming techniques the muscles are not strained and will not ache. Also the stretching works different muscles than are utilized for sitting long periods of time. The yoga instructor was willing to come to the office 2 days a week during the lunch hour to provide a low impact stretching class for those that wanted to participate. The class would take only 20 minutes. As incentive for participating I told my employees that those that participated in the back pain exercise class could leave 20 minutes earlier or come in 20 minutes later on that day.

By doing this simple incentive for completing low back pain exercise, I have greatly reduced the number of hours my employees are out sick. My employees are also reporting that since they are completing the low back pain exercise program they have more energy at the end of the work day. Several employees take part in the low back pain exercise sessions each week. Some even do the back pain exercise routine together on days when the instructor does not come in. It is a great feeling for me as an employer to know I have helped my workers feel better.