Aussie Journal - From Tech Neck to Chronic Pain: Women's Health at Work

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SYDNEY - AussieJournal -- Australian women are being urged to join the National WorkSpace Week (20-26 October 2025) movement, to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), the most common injuries impacting Australia's female workforce.

National WorkSpace Week, an initiative of the Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA), aligns with Safe Work Australia's National Safe Work Month (October) and the 'Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) Strategy 2023–2033' to ensure our female workforce can 'work well every day' to minimise WMSDs.

WMSDs are a range of inflammatory and degenerative conditions affecting the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, peripheral nerves and supporting blood vessels which may be caused by a single workplace event but commonly result from repeated harmful workspace activities over an extended period.

Dr Michelle Ronan, a chiropractor for 20-years said, "Australian workers most at risk of WMSDs are community and personal service workers including healthcare, aged care, childcare, NDIS and disability services sectors.

"With women dominating employment in these workforces, it's imperative employers and workers implement interventions and early detection to minimise the risk of chronic WMSDs," she said.

"With MSDs the second largest contributor to disability and lower back pain being the single leading cause of disability globally, workplace interventions combined with early diagnosis and treatment can significantly reduce the instances of WMSDs and minimise their impact to prevent the long-term burden while reducing workers' compensation claims and overall costs to the Australian economy," Dr Ronan said.

A wide range of risk factors lead to female workers developing WMSDs including body stressing caused by poorly executed lifting, pushing, pulling or bending, poor posture, repetitive strain injuries, computer use in non-ergonomic workspaces (in an office or remotely); and incorrect use of electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets.

According to Safework Australia (2024), serious workers' compensation claims for mental stress in women were more than double (12.5%) that of men (6.0%).

Mental stress in the workspace can also lead to WMSDs when the body's "fight or flight" response is triggered releasing stress hormones causing muscle tension that can lead to pain, stiffness and cervicogenic (neck related) headaches affecting concentration, productivity, social engagement, wellbeing and quality of life.

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Incorrect and non-ergonomic use of technology in the workplace or remotely can also lead to developing Tension Neck Syndrome or 'tech neck' which is a debilitating WMSD common among office workers. With 75.5% of Australians aged 16 to 64 using computers daily, desk or computer users make up 10% of serious workers' compensation claims.

An independent survey 'The impact of tech neck and neck pain in Australia' (2025) by global research company Pureprofile found that tech neck doesn't only affect Australians' physical health. Sufferers reported impacts on mental health and productivity with 24% experiencing higher irritability, 20% noticing poorer concentration and 23% had sleep disruption; with women 43% more impacted by productivity loss than men.

In a separate study (2023) it was revealed that 89% of workers who used a desk reported suffering a WMSD with female desk workers reporting the highest incidence (91%) compared to men (76%) while sedentary female workers experienced the highest rate of neck pain and were 22% more likely to experience neck pain than men – 71.7% vs 59%.

Dr Billy Chow, President of the ACA said, "With prevention the best protection against tech neck, holding a smartphone at eye level (the recommended position) was associated with the lowest neck pain prevalence (64%) but was only used by 37.5% of smartphone users.

"Correct posture, taking regular breaks and applying correct ergonomics when using devices had a significant impact on reducing prevalence of neck pain when using a range of devices.

In 2022, an Australian Bureau of Statistics survey reported chronic musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) impacts around 7.3 million (29%) Australians with an estimated direct health cost in 2021-2022 of $14.7 billion. However, when accounting for lost productivity, absenteeism, direct health costs and reduced quality of life, in 2018 Deloitte Access Economics reported the real cost to our economy exceeded $55 billion annually.

"WMSDs can lead to long-term chronic pain and possibly life-limiting outcomes with early diagnosis and treatment recommended to prevent deterioration, improve recovery, reduce severity and help prevent long-term implications such as mental health conditions and reliance on medications for chronic pain that can be harmful," Dr Chow said.

"During national WorkSpace Week, we're urging employers and workers to join the movement and focus on interventions by taking a proactive approach to preventing WMSDs caused by physical stress, mental stress, repetitive work, poorly set up non-ergonomic workspaces and incorrect use of devices.

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"With WMSDs leading to reduced productivity, poorer quality of life, psychological distress, bodily pain and disability, employers and workers can implement preventative measures by reviewing workplace controls and promoting early detection and rehabilitation to ensure we all work well every day," said Dr Chow.

"WMSD interventions in the workplace can include modifying worker's behaviour through training (improve posture); regular exercise (stretching and strengthening); task-specific changes (holding smartphones and iPads at eye level) and equipment modifications (establish ergonomic workstations); education (manual handling/lifting techniques); organisational change (hours, workloads and increased breaks); and workplace environment (culture) to minimise mental stress," he said.

While medications may offer temporary relief from WMSDs, academic studies, including research from the University of Sydney, show opioids do not benefit people with acute neck or back pain (lasting up to 12 weeks) and have no positive role in treatment; comparatively, studies have shown that commencing treatment for WMSDs promptly is crucial in preventing further functional decline and progression to a chronic condition.

ACA chiropractors can provide drug-free healthcare, advice to help prevent work-related back and neck injuries, how to set up an ergonomic workspace, how to effectively manage stress, improve posture, how to best use technology to prevent tech neck, provide exercises to improve spinal health and stabilise core muscle groups and guidance on rest and maintaining a healthy diet to promote overall health and wellbeing.

"By promoting prevention and minimising long-term harm through early diagnosis and effective chiropractic healthcare; we can improve the spinal health and overall wellbeing of Australia's female workforce to minimise WMSDs and reduce the negative impact on employers and the economy," Dr Chow said.

To help prevent workspace injuries and reduce the impact of WMSDs, employers and workers are encouraged to visit workspaceweek.org.au to access a range of free resources including the WorkSpace Week Checklist, exercise posters, factsheets and podcasts to learn how to maximise spinal health and wellbeing, minimise injuries and improve productivity ensuring all Australians can work well every day.

For information or to register for National WorkSpace Week 2025 visit workspaceweek.org.au.

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Access Media-Centre for images, VNR and journalist notes.

#WorkSpaceWeek #WorkWellEveryDay #AdjustYourThinking #ConsultAChiro - #SafeWorkMonth

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