Neck, shoulder, and back pain in employees drops slightly

Every year, hundreds of thousands of employees have to undergo a medical examination with the occupational physician because they have high-risk jobs. These include night work, jobs with high noise exposure, or intensely physical work.

Mensura analyses annually how many of those employees have mobility issues. Like last year, one in four (25%) were found to be struggling with one or more physical complaints. For the first time in five years, that number did not increase. This is positive after the big increase between 2021 and 2024: from 18.2% to 25.2% (+38.5%).

“The reduction in the figures may be related to the new ergonomics legislation introduced two years ago,” says Gerrit Pollentier, ergonomics expert at Mensura. “Investing in ergonomics isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. The new law emphasises that.”

“However, a lot of work remains to be done to put the legislation into practice. According to government figures, 70% of companies have no or have an incomplete ergonomic analysis. Nevertheless, that is the starting point for targeted measures.”

Lower back pain in 1 in 5 employees

The most common physical complaints in the workplace are related to lower back pain. Almost one in five (18.2%) suffer from it. Besides lower back pain, employees mainly report shoulder problems (5.4%) and neck complaints (4%).

“More than 30% of people on long-term sick leave are at home due to muscle and joint problems. Risk prevention in the workplace therefore remains essential. And that is where we need to be even more ambitious,” Gerrit Pollentier believes. “From mere risk reduction to organising work in such a way that it encourages healthy behaviour.”

Complementing good risk prevention, a change in lifestyle can also yield ergonomic gains. “Recent research in The Lancet shows that 40% of lower back pain is preventable or modifiable. This can be done by focusing on a healthy lifestyle on top of good working conditions. Employees must also assume their own responsibility in this.”

Also fewer complaints due to screen work among employees

And what about VDU employees? Their sedentary occupation makes them a high-risk group for lower back pain and neck and shoulder problems.

Interestingly, they experience more physical complaints than the more physically demanding occupations. For example, half of VDU employees (49.9%) experience neck pain. More than half (53%) suffer from backaches and more than one in three (36.2%) from shoulder pain.

Yet a positive trend is also noticeable among VDU employees. The three most common physical complaints are (slightly) less common than three years ago.

“On average, every euro an employer invests in workplace risk prevention brings in almost two euros to the organisation. Yet there is still a large margin for targeted risk prevention. We still don’t know enough about the wins that risk prevention and ergonomics can bring to the workplace,” concludes Gerrit Pollentier.