In times of economic recession, lay-offs and unemployment leave people desperate for anything they can find. Many people have lost their desk jobs and are moving out of the office in search of anyone hiring. Besides the federal government, Walmart is the largest employer in the U.S. with almost 2 million employees.
As anyone who has worked either in a chair or on their feet all day can tell you, back pain is a common occurrence, especially lower back pain. People who work for Walmart, especially those who are stationary most of the day, like cashiers, are highly susceptible to both upper and lower back pain.
Poor posture is one of the leading causes of back pain in the retail industry. Posture is not merely a matter of remembering to sit and stand up straight; maintaining spinal alignment throughout the day requires conditioned core muscles.
Another factor of back pain for those employed by Walmart and similar companies is immobility. A lack of movement limits blood flow to your muscles, causing rigidity and soreness.
Posture
Supporting the weight of the upper body is a chore; the spine is meant to receive the assistance of muscles in the lower back, stomach, pelvis and buttocks to support this weight. In this culture of sitting, however, many people do not have a strong core group. This leaves the spine without the support it needs to maintain alignment, and places the burden of the upper body's weight almost exclusively on the lower back muscles.
The most common type of poor posture includes stooped shoulders, the pelvis jutted forward, lumbar arch nearly flattened, and head craned forward. With the change in spinal alignment, the discs that cushion vertebrae receive uneven pressure, which can eventually lead to damage. Muscles from the lower back up to the neck are strained, creating both upper and lower back pain. Posture-related strains tend to be chronic, unless steps are taken to correct posture by developing the core muscles and using ergonomics for assistance if necessary.
Stationary Position
An eight-hour shift as a cashier entails nearly eight hours of standing. While state laws vary, employers generally give employees two 10-15 minute breaks and one 30-60 minute lunch break during an eight-hour shift. Since the lunch break is generally not considered work time, the actual working shift is about 7.5 hours. Standing behind a register for 7.5 hours a day, employees do not have many opportunities to move around and get the blood flowing.
The contraction and relaxation cycle of muscles pumps oxygen-rich blood in and out. When muscles are held in contraction for a prolonged period of time, as when standing in one place for hours (particularly with bad posture), fresh blood is not being pumped through the immobile muscles. When muscles contract, they use oxygen to convert glucose into energy that enables them to do work. In the absence of oxygen, waste is produced. Fresh blood flow is needed to flush these waste products out of the muscle; without this flow, the waste pools in muscles, leaving them rigid and sore.
Treatment
If you are just beginning a job at Walmart or a similar company, you may be able to prevent back pain or stop it early on your own; developing the core muscle group and finding creative ways to move around at work may suffice.
The Mayo Clinic offers a slideshow of core exercises that will leave your muscles balanced and strong; find it at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-strength/SM00047. These exercises especially help to relieve lower back pain.
For ideas on how to keep the blood flowing at work, see http://www.rsiguard.com/help/ErgoAnswers/micro_stretch.html. Try out a few of these standing stretches between customers. Your back, neck and shoulders will likely benefit.
If posture and immobility have wreaked havoc on your back for some time now, it would be wise to seek consult with a physical therapist. Chronic muscle strain leads to muscle imbalances that wrench the spine further out of alignment and exacerbate pain. A physical therapist can help you identify which muscles need relaxing and which need developing. After balance has been achieved, your muscles will need to be retrained to support correct posture; this will help you prevent further cases of upper and lower back pain.
In nearly every situation of back pain, education can lead you to a solution. Work should not be painful. Make sure you know the risks and how to avoid them.
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