Increasing numbers of UAE residents are suffering back problems because they are not exercising enough and have poor posture at their desk, specialists have said.
Doctors have revealed that even people in their mid-20s are developing back problems due to long hours sitting in front of computers.
The warnings from local clinicians follow a UK report that has blamed the modern practice of "hot-desking" people taking whichever desk is free rather than the same one each day for the increase in back pain.
The British Chiropractic Association said at least one third of workers failed to adjust their desks or computer when moving to a new desk and so could be damaging their back by the way they sit.
Dr Deepak Bhatia, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Al Zahra Hospital, Sharjah, said back problems were now "extremely common" in the UAE.
"It has a lot to do with using laptops and computers, and the desks and chairs are not adjusted for them," he said.
He added that poorly-designed furniture and long working hours were also contributing to the high frequency of back problems.
"People who are only 24 or 25 years old are coming to see me," he said, adding that people should exercise three to four times a week to keep problems at bay.
Dr Thaju Thomas, an orthopaedic specialist at Community Medical Centre, Dubai, also said that those who failed to exercise, and so had weaker back muscles, were most at risk of developing problems.
He said office workers should occasionally change the height of their seat and desk in order to alter the way they sat.
"Very simple spinal exercises such as arching your body back can lead to a considerable improvement in conditions," he said.
Dr Milan Urbansky, of the Neuro Spinal Hospital in Jumeirah, said "for sure" back problems were now more common than before.
"Our spine is weak and we're getting early degenerative changes. It is supposed to be people aged 45 to 50, but instead it is people aged 25 to 30," he said.
He warned that people who did not exercise regularly were at risk of damaging their back on the rare occasions when they found time for sports such as golf or tennis.
David Patfield, 30, a British office worker in Dubai Media City, said he has come across many colleagues who suffer back pain but said precautions he takes have prevented him from developing aches.
"I take regular screen breaks not just for my eyes but for my back as well. Sometimes I feel myself slouching to I make an effort to improve my posture. Back problems can very easily creep up on people," he said.
Alison Golding, a 47-year-old marketing manager, also from the United Kingdom, said she thought exercise was more effective than drugs at stopping back pain.
"People are popping pills all over the place but the best thing is exercise to strengthen the back," she said.
Hot desking worsens back pain crisis study
Hot desking, where more than one office worker uses a seat, is adding to Britain's back pain crisis, a study claims.
The practice popular within firms that rely on temporary workers who do not have permanent desks is bad for people's health, doctors fear. A third of the 1,674 workers surveyed did not adjust seating or computers when switching desks, according to the British Chiropractic Association and office equipment suppliers Targus.
They believe there could be a link as the same percentage of workers also suffers back pain.
Evening Standard
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