ABSTRACT
Musculoskeletal complaints are the most frequently reported work-related illness in the UK, are often attributed to work and are regularly associated with work absence (Hodgson et al, 1993). Of these complaints, that of low back pain (LBP) is the most common, and it is now established that disability due to LBP (reflected in the high level of social security benefits and lost production) has been increasing exponentially over the past few decades (Waddell, 1998). This is in spite of purported improvements in work environments and medical management.
