Mensura brings first app against back pain to Belgian employees

There have never been so many employees with back complaints in our country. In 2019, around 8% of employees were troubled with back pain. At the end of 2023, this number was already almost one in ten (9.74%). 11.5% of the requests for re-integration procedures in that year were linked to back complaints. This was revealed in figures gathered by Mensura among 320,000 employees. Causes include (tough) physical labour in certain industries, too little variation in posture and movement, and a lack of healthy physical exercise when not working.

The new tool SelfBack, which Mensura is launching in Belgian workplaces, aims to help organisations finetune their ergonomics policy even closer to the individual needs of each employee. It is the very first scientifically validated app against back pain in our country, listed in the MHealth register and approved by the Belgian Back Society.

“With the adapted ergonomic legislation, enforced in May of this year, employers are obliged to make ergonomics even more important in their well-being policy. Indeed, physical ailments, including back complaints, are a major reason for reporting sick and absenteeism. When you follow a well-balanced exercise program in the case of early symptoms, you can often put a stop to back pain without medication or therapy. Ergonomic improvements in the workplace are often the top priority in companies, but are not always immediately possible. With Selfback, organisations put their employees in charge of their own recovery, with practical tips and tailored advice.” - Gerrit Pollentier, head of ergonomics at Mensura

SelfBack is originally a Danish tool, and has already been launched successfully in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, as part of the medical procedure for people with back complaints. Using an app on their smartphone, employees enter details of their (early) back complaints. Based on the input, SelfBack creates an exercise program. The AI-driven program updates the training schedule on a weekly basis.

“SelfBack acts like an external conscience for employees. The app sends a daily notification with the exercises you must to do work on your recovery. By doing so, the app guides you towards a daily routine with different kinds of exercises which ease the pain and build, for example, greater stability, mobility, and strength. This app actually puts the medical international guidelines on back complaints into practice: the focus lies on learning to manage your own complaints. Back complaints have different causes, which means that efforts are not only focused on the physical aspect. By supporting self-management as soon as possible in early cases, the risk of chronic strain and absenteeism are limited.” - Gerrit Pollentier, ergonomics expert at Mensura

Plus, like many sport apps and fitness trackers, it also includes a fun element. Through so-called ‘gamification’ you set, for example, daily step goals and exercise targets. That means that employees are intrinsically motivated to keep working on their recovery.

SelfBack has demonstrated its efficiency as a supplement to the ergonomic policy in production companies, where blue-collar workers are involved in tough physical activity, and in organisations with many VDU workers, who move (too) little throughout the day.
Furthermore, the app is accessible in 8 languages: in addition to Dutch, French and English,
you can also follow the exercise program in German, Arabic, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian.

The app has already been tested extensively and has been validated in a medical context. During a pilot phase, Mensura is now testing Selfback in various companies. Based on the feedback this generates, Mensura aims to continue developing Selfback with an even greater focus on the work context and prevention.