Originally published: Medianet, 18 October 2026
KEY FACTS
- Working through pain: 9 in 10 (89%) currently working Australians with work-related pain keep working when they should rest, and half (49%) say they can’t afford to lose income. (ACA/Pureprofile, 2026)
- A national problem: 76% of Australians who have worked have experienced work-related musculoskeletal pain or injury, rising to 83% of those currently working. (ACA/Pureprofile, 2026)
- More than 400 serious claims a day: there were 147,200 serious workers’ compensation claims in 2024–25, each involving at least a week off work. (Safe Work Australia, Oct 2026)
- Musculoskeletal injuries lead: musculoskeletal injuries and diseases make up around 53% of serious claims. Body stressing such as lifting, pushing, pulling and bending is the leading cause, at 35.2% (51,800 claims). (Safe Work Australia, Oct 2026)
- 7.3 million Australians: 29% of Australians, almost one in three, live with a chronic musculoskeletal condition. (AIHW)
- Rising costs: musculoskeletal disorders cost the health system $17.5 billion in 2024–25, up $1.2 billion in a year. They are the third most costly disease group, behind cancer and cardiovascular disease. (AIHW, Oct 2026) and the total annual cost to the economy — including lost productivity and reduced quality of life — estimated at $55.1 billion (Deloitte 2018).
New national research reveals how cost-of-living pressures and job security concerns are influencing Australians’ decisions to work through pain rather than rest, recover or seek treatment.
In launching WorkSpace Week 2026 (19–25 October), a new independent national survey has revealed that nine-in-ten (89%) working Australians experiencing work-related pain continued working over the past year despite feeling they should have rested or taken time off.
Almost half (49%) of those who worked through pain saying they couldn’t afford to lose income, rising to 54% of women. The cost of living has also prevented 45% of working pain sufferers from taking time off to recover from an injury, while 42% reported delaying or avoiding medical treatment due to financial pressures.
The 2026 Impact of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders or Injuries on Australian Workers national survey of 1,056 Australians, commissioned by the Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA) and conducted by independent research firm Pureprofile, found that three-in-four Australians (76%) who’ve worked at some point in their lives (current workers, retirees, unemployed and those on leave), have experienced a work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) or injury.
