People who take early retirement due to back pain face long-term financial difficulties, according to a new study.

Arthritis Ireland has said initiatives are needed to help people with back problems to continue to play an active role in the workplace.

Australian scientists measured the economic impact of ill-health on 45 to 64-year-old workers.

They examined data from a survey on 147 people who had left work due to back problems; 168 who worked part-time because of back issues; and 356 who worked full-time in spite of having back problems.

The researchers estimated the value of 'retirement wealth' that would be available to people in each group by the age of 65.

The researchers calculated that by this age, most people in full-time employment with no health problems would have accumulated some wealth.

However, just 75 to 85 per cent of those forced to quit work because of back problems would be in this same relatively confortable financial position.

People who took early retirement due to back problems would have accumulated far less wealth by the time they reached 65 than those who continued to work full-time until this age.

Lead investigator Professor Deborah Schofield of Sydney School of Public Health, said: "relative to those who retired early due to other health problems, there are more than twice as many people who have retired early due to back problems who are estimated to have no savings by the time they reach the traditional retirement age of 65.

"For most of the age and sex groups analysed, even those who reported back pain and were working full-time accumulated less wealth than full-time workers who suffered no chronic health conditions."

The professor, whose findings are published in the journal Pain, said helping back pain sufferers to avoid taking early retirement could help them financially.

Arthritis Ireland is heading up Ireland’s 'Fit for Work' campaign, which aims to put in place a National Framework for musculoskeltal disorders (MSDs), including back pain.

“By using innovation and creativity to make the workplace 'fit for work', the outcomes for workers with MSDs will include increased productivity, reduced sick leave and increased mental and physical wellness,”  Arthritis Ireland said.