During the pandemic, much attention was paid to the mental health and wellbeing of practitioners at work. However, many clinicians also report work-related physical pain or discomfort.

Shoulder, lower back and neck pain are common problems for the profession. Research has shown that 70% to 82% of practitioners experience these issues (Al-Marwani Al-Juhani et al, 2015; Long et al, 2011). One study of occupational musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and injury among optometrists showed that 41% reported shoulder pain, 37% lower back pain and 34% neck pain (Uhlman et al, 2019).