An article in SEN Magazine has reported on the results of a survey by the British Osteopathic Association which says that those in the teaching profession are at a particularly high risk of developing back, neck and shoulder problems.

They cite two reasons for this:

1) Teachers, especially nursery staff, spend “prolonged periods of kneeling, bending and stooping” to support children in their learning.

2) Stress has been known to contribute to MSD, which is something that teachers experience on a regular basis with workload demands, large class sizes and scarce resources (to name just a few).

So what can be done to treat the symptoms of MSD?

WebMD suggests a number of ways to prevent/treat the symptoms of MSD, including: exercise that includes muscle strengthening and stretching; physical or occupational therapy; acupuncture or acupressure; relaxation/biofeedback techniques; and therapeutic massage.

To read more about MSD at WebMD, visit: http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/musculoskeletal-pain

And to read the full SEN Magazine article, visit: http://www.senmagazine.co.uk/news/sennews/sennews/are-teachers-backs-under-strain