Musculoskeletal health in the workplace
What is musculoskeletal (MSK) health?
Musculoskeletal health is about how well your muscles, bones, and joints work together. It affects your ability to move comfortably and carry out everyday tasks.
Why is it important?
Good MSK health helps you:
- Stay mobile and balanced
- Maintain strength and endurance
- Perform physical tasks at work and home
These abilities are essential for most jobs and for living independently.
Common MSK conditions
Poor MSK health can result from a range of conditions, including:
- Joint conditions – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
- Spinal disorders – neck pain, low back pain, sciatica
- Bone conditions – osteoporosis
- Musculoskeletal injuries – strains and sprains (often linked to work or sport)
- Regional and widespread pain disorders – frozen shoulder, tennis elbow
- Genetic, congenital and developmental disorders – club foot
- Multisystem inflammatory diseases – systemic lupus erythematosus
How common are MSK conditions?
- Around 17.9% of adults in England report a long-term MSK condition, such as arthritis or back pain (GP Patient Survey, 2024).
- Across the UK, over 10 million people live with arthritis, and many more have other MSK conditions (Versus Arthritis, 2025).
- MSK problems increase with age. As the workforce gets older, the number of employees with MSK conditions is expected to rise significantly by 2030
Impact on sickness absence
- In 2024, 148.9 million working days were lost because of sickness or injury in the UK. MSK conditions accounted for 15.5% of all absences, second only to minor illnesses (ONS, 2025).
- For work-related MSK disorders alone, 543,000 workers were affected, and 7.8 million working days were lost in 2023/24 (HSE, 2024).
- On average, each MSK case led to 14.3 days off work.
Which sectors are most affected?
Industries with higher-than-average rates of MSK disorders include:
- Administrative and support services
- Construction
- Transportation and storage.
Why this matters for employers
Poor MSK health can cost your organisation through:
- Sick pay and lost productivity
- Loss of experienced staff and skills
- Legal costs and injury benefits.
The good news
MSK problems can often be prevented or managed. Taking action reduces costs and helps meet health and safety requirements. Steps include:
- Risk assessments for manual handling and display screen equipment
- Training and ergonomic adjustments
- Promoting movement and good posture at work.
How can your business promote MSK health?
All businesses should be thinking about how they can prevent and support MSK problems. Poor MSK health can affect all industries and business sectors (from construction through to banking). It can also affect all types of employees (from those who are deskbound to those who work in manufacturing).
Increasingly, responsible employers are taking a proactive approach by supporting employees to lead healthier lifestyles that will reduce the risk of MSK problems. This may be by supporting employees to stop smoking, providing healthier snacks, or encouraging staff to spend more time away from their desks. These are just some of the simple, inexpensive steps you can take towards creating a healthier workplace.
Support in Staffordshire
Everyone Health Staffordshire
Everyone Health Staffordshire offers a free healthy lifestyle service to Staffordshire residents. This includes support to help people get more active, lose weight and stop smoking. Please note, some restrictions do apply.
They also offer a free healthy workplace service to some businesses in Staffordshire, to support employees to stay healthy. Restrictions do apply, so please contact Everyone Health to discuss if your business may be eligible.
Resources to promote musculoskeletal health in the workplace
Below are some guides, websites, campaigns and resources to help you to support Musculoskeletal Health in your workplace.
Toolkits:
Business in the Community has partnered with Public Health England to produce this simple and informative step-by-step guide to support businesses to deal with back, neck, muscle and joint pain at work. It contains all the information and resources you need to develop an evidence-based approach to musculoskeletal health that works for your business.
Campaigns, websites and apps:
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Find advice on preventing and managing MSK conditions at work. Includes:
- Risk assessment tools for manual handling and repetitive tasks
- Guidance on safe use of display screen equipment (DSE)
Visit the Health and Safety Executive website for more information
Better Health
Help employees lead a healthier lifestyle. Access support for:
- Losing weight
- Being more active
- Stopping smoking
- Drinking less alcohol
Visit Better Health for more information
NHS – Back Pain
Information and advice on back pain, including:
- Exercises for lower back pain and sciatica
- Tips for sitting less
- Guidance for laptop users
Visit the NHS website for more information
Health and Wellbeing Apps
Use our app finder tool to discover top-rated apps for MSK health and overall wellbeing.
Staffordshire Connects
Our online directory lists:
- Local care and support services
- Community groups and activities
Visit Staffordshire connects for more information
Versus Arthritis
Learn about arthritis, managing symptoms, treatments, and living well.
Visit Versus Arthritis's website for more information
Arthritis Action
Find information on types of arthritis, causes, and self-management tips.
Visit Arthritis Action's website for more information
Get in touch
Let us know what you’re doing in your workplace around musculoskeletal health by emailing workplaceHealth@staffordshire.gov.uk.
