Protect Your Back: Ergonomic Strategies for Preventing Pain While Farming

Occupational therapist finds farmers are at elevated risk for low-back injury.

by Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center

Farmers can experience musculoskeletal disorders, injuries and pain symptoms, especially in the lower back region, due to the physical demands of their job and limited access to resources in rural areas.

This past summer, the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) hosted Justine Bauer, an occupational therapy doctorate program student at the University of Minnesota, as she completed her capstone project: an “Ergonomic Program for Crop Production Farmers Operating in Rural Communities in the Midwest.”

Bauer surveyed 23 crop farmers and visited two on-site. Her goal was to understand the musculoskeletal issues experienced by Midwestern crop farmers, identify work tasks associated with low-back pain, and provide ergonomic recommendations to help protect farmers’ backs. Her project found that:

• Low back pain was common and problematic among surveyed Midwestern crop farmers. 40% of participants reported trouble in the lower back in the last year, and 68% of those with lower back pain said it prevented them from doing their everyday work.
• Certain work tasks were associated with low-back pain, including stooping and bending, getting in and out of farming vehicles, twisting, standing, operating farming vehicles, machinery or equipment, carrying heavy loads, and walking.
• Farmers’ musculoskeletal pain experiences varied based on personal, environmental and work factors (e.g., equipment and vehicle types and age). Occupational therapy can be a great venue for understanding and accommodating these individual and unique needs.

Based on the findings of her project, Bauer developed resources to share practical strategies for protecting the low-back region while farming. Use and share them in your work (click the image below for the original file):

Fact sheet recommendations

Back Pain Poster 1

Back Pain Poster 2

Other Ergonomic Resources to Explore

• Lower Back Injury Prevention Handout — Ergo Plus Resources
• Safe Lifting Principles Handout — Ergo Plus Resources
• Simple Solutions: Ergonomics for Farmworkers — CDC
• Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling — CDC
• BACK on the Farm, BACK in the Saddle: A Guide to Back Health in Agriculture — AgrAbility
• The Toolbox: Assistive Technology Database — AgrAbility
• Ergonomic Checkpoints in Agriculture — International Ergonomics Association

Editor’s note: This article is provided by the Upper Midwest Agricultural and Safety Health Center.