There are currently around 6.5 million carers in the UK with the figure set to rise to 9 million by 2037. For many carers physical activity such as lifting is a significant part of their daily routine. However, not all carers will be aware of their back health when looking after someone.
Although paid carers may receive training on how to protect their backs during the physical aspects of their work, many unpaid carers, of which there are 5.8 million in England and Wales, may not receive any training or information about back care.
To coincide with Back Care Awareness Week (7 - 11 October) The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) and Chiro Health Clinics has developed the following simple tips for all carers to help them whilst they’re helping others.
Phil Jones from Chiro Health comments: “Carers spend long periods of time on their feet and put a lot of strain on their bodies, from lifting and assisting the person they are caring for, to moving equipment. Even though our bodies are very well adapted to a variety of tasks, carers need to be particularly careful not to overload themselves and put their backs at risk.”
Chiro Health practitioners recommend a very simple three minute exercise routine entitled ‘Straighten Up UK’ from the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) has developed which is really easy to incorporate into daily life to help strengthen the spine and improve posture. The exercise routine can be accessed on the BCA website here: http://bit.ly/straightenup.
1 Statistics taken from Carers UK http://www.carersuk.org/newsroom/stats-and-facts
2 According to data from the Office of National Statistics from the 2011 census