Retail: Avoid Back Pain at Work

Serving customers, stocking and clearing shelves, decorating the sales floor, creating inventory lists … What do all these retail tasks have in common? Exactly! They are usually performed while standing. And that is precisely where the problem lies: standing for long periods at work leads to back pain. 

This is not just employees’ subjective perception: according to the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), “around one quarter (22.6%) of days of incapacity for work in Germany are due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs, as of 2020). And this figure increases further with age: among people over 55, they already account for more than 35%. MSDs therefore cause considerable economic damage.” According to DGUV estimates, this damage can amount to approximately €19.6 billion annually. 

In today’s article, you will find out how best to avoid back pain at work and how to protect your employees and your company.

Why does back pain occur at work? 

To prevent something—in this case, back pain at work—you should of course know its causes. So let’s first take a look at what exactly causes back pain in retail. 

The fundamental problem with working in retail, as well as in hospitality or other “standing professions”, is standing for long periods. Maintaining a “forced posture”, as the name suggests, is always associated with negative consequences for our bodies, because humans are not “built” for it. 

When standing, this specifically means that the muscles in our body are constantly tense to keep us upright and protect our musculoskeletal system. This constant tension in the different muscle groups that occurs with this kind of “forced posture” results in tension, which causes muscle stiffness and, of course, back pain. 

The brochure “Standing Worn Out? When You Have to Stand Through Work” from the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health provides a wonderful overview of the causes of back pain at work. For a shorter version, you can also read more about the causes and consequences of prolonged standing in our article “Standing for Long Periods at Work: The Risks”.

Avoiding back pain: Find an upright posture 

Aside from the fact that standing for long periods at work is a “forced posture” and therefore not good for us, we cannot deny that we often simply do not stand correctly. 

Drooping shoulders, a hollow back, a sunken chest and a belly protruding forwards … Who has not noticed this posture in themselves or a colleague after a long working day? Caution is needed here. These poor postures, combined with a forced posture, quickly lead to musculoskeletal disorders, which unfortunately often become chronic. 

Because standing correctly is always much more difficult in practice than in theory, here are a few simple tips: 

• Keep your head and chin upright 
• Let your shoulders and arms hang in a relaxed position (do not pull them up towards your ears) 
• Tighten your abdominal and gluteal muscles (prevents a hollow back) 
• Keep your pelvis slightly upright 
• Always keep your knees slightly bent 
• Stand with your feet hip-width apart 
• Point your toes slightly outwards 

It is highly recommended that you practise standing correctly and maintaining the right posture again and again, ideally together with your colleagues. Your spine will thank you!

Avoiding back pain: Buy suitable footwear 

In addition to the right body posture, suitable footwear is also essential. While the wrong shoe can even encourage such misalignments, the right shoe can correct them and relieve strain on the body. Suitable footwear can actually help counteract back pain at work. 

In our article “Lightweight Work Shoes for Standing for Long Periods”, we take a closer look at the qualities a suitable shoe must have. Lightness, breathability, a precise fit and padded insoles are particularly essential. That is why we at Shoes For Crews offer all these features and more—because the health of your employees has been at the heart of what we do since 1984.

Avoiding back pain: See exercise as prevention 

We may think a lot about what we can do differently during work to avoid back pain, but prevention actually begins at home. 

Physical activity is important for keeping your back healthy. Regular exercise not only improves overall fitness, but also allows you to specifically strengthen your back and leg muscles to prevent back pain at work. Sports such as Nordic walking, swimming, yoga and strength training are ideal for this. 

We are fully aware that in a stressful daily routine involving work, household tasks and possibly childcare, there is often little room or time for physical activity. Nevertheless, we recommend setting aside 10 to 15 minutes per day for targeted back exercises. A small tip: if you Google “lower back exercises”, videos with suitable exercises will be suggested directly. 

You can find more specific tips for preventing back pain and other hazards of standing at work in our article “5 Tips to Make Working While Standing Easier”. 

Take the first step towards avoiding back pain at work today by contacting us. At Shoes For Crews, we cannot do the exercise for you and your employees, but we can help find the right shoe for everyone.