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Researchers at the University of Florida’s Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety are studying whether pain self-management and ergonomic modifications can reduce back pain among horticulture workers. Early findings show improvements in pain and work task difficulty, though full results are still developing.
Researchers at the University of Florida are conducting an ongoing study on whether pain self-management techniques and ergonomic modifications can effectively address back pain among nursery and landscape workers, a group in which working through pain is widely viewed as part of the job. The team, based at UF’s Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS), reports that preliminary findings show improvements in both pain levels and work task difficulty.
The study is being carried out by scientists from SCCAHS, including faculty from UF’s College of Public Health and Health Professions (PHHP) and the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences (FYCS), according to a report published by UF/IFAS. The lead researcher is Kim Dunleavy, a clinical professor in the Department of Physical Therapy in UF’s PHHP.
In the study’s first phase, stakeholders from the nursery and landscape industry — including supervisors, workers, and insurance consultants — confirmed that many employees continue working despite pain. Workers described long hours spent lifting heavy plants, carrying materials, digging, and working in bent or awkward positions, all of which can take a physical toll over time. Early interviews also highlighted seasonal and weather-related variability in workloads, which researchers said calls for practical solutions that serve both employees and employers.
Study participants indicated that preventing back injuries would not require major changes in workplace practices, but pointed to the need for tailored interventions for the horticulture industry. According to Dunleavy, participants acknowledged the need for greater workplace awareness about pain and more guidance on injury prevention, an area where formal training is often limited.
Costs of Untreated Back Pain in Horticulture
Back pain carries consequences beyond the individual worker, according to the researchers. Kim Dunleavy said that reduced productivity, the loss of experienced workers, and injury-related costs have major consequences for companies in an industry where employees rely on their bodies for their income.
The study also flags medication-related risks. Dunleavy noted that back pain can lead workers to rely on pain medication such as opioids and muscle relaxers, or over-the-counter options such as acetaminophen and anti-inflammatories, all of which carry potential negative health side effects. The preliminary results, she said, highlight the importance of educating workers about those risks and encouraging simple pain-management strategies before pain becomes a more serious or long-term problem.
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How the Study Was Shaped by Workers
The research began with a stakeholder phase in which supervisors, workers, and insurance consultants from the nursery and landscape industry were interviewed about pain in the workplace. Those interviews established that working through pain is common and often normalized in the sector, with many workers viewing discomfort as an unavoidable part of the job.
Participants also described a longer-term trade-off: the short-term benefits of pushing through pain can come at the cost of injuries, worker burnout, lost productivity, and difficulty retaining talented employees. Dunleavy said participants expressed appreciation to their companies for enabling their participation and emphasized the importance of having options that allow them to keep working while reducing pain.
“Not only is back pain debilitating for workers who rely on their bodies for income, reduced productivity, losing experienced workers, and overall costs for injury have major consequences for companies.”
— Kim Dunleavy, clinical professor, UF Department of Physical Therapy and lead researcher
What the Preliminary Findings Do Not Yet Show
The study is ongoing, and the findings reported so far are described by the researchers themselves as preliminary. Dunleavy said early results are encouraging, with improvements in work task difficulty and pain, but the report does not include specific data on the size of those improvements, the number of participants, the duration of follow-up, or how the interventions were structured.
It is not yet clear when final results will be published, whether the findings will be tested across a broader range of horticulture operations, or how employers could implement the recommended interventions at scale.
Next Steps for the Research Team
The research team plans to continue developing and evaluating interventions tailored to horticulture work, with an emphasis on simple, low-burden pain-management strategies and workplace awareness. UF/IFAS has published a full article on the study, written by Chris Vivian, on its website, and readers seeking detailed findings can consult that report. Broader dissemination of results to nursery and landscape employers, and potential training or guidance materials, would be a logical follow-on, though the researchers have not announced a specific timeline.
Key Questions
What is the University of Florida study investigating?
Researchers are testing whether self-management of pain and ergonomic modifications can effectively reduce back pain among nursery and landscape workers in the horticulture industry.
Who is conducting the study?
Scientists from the UF-based Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS), including faculty from UF’s College of Public Health and Health Professions and the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences. Kim Dunleavy, a clinical professor of physical therapy, is the lead researcher.
What have the preliminary findings shown?
According to Dunleavy, early findings are encouraging, with improvements in pain and work task difficulty. No specific figures on the size of the improvements have been published.
Why is back pain a concern in horticulture work specifically?
Workers spend long hours lifting heavy plants, carrying materials, digging, and working in bent or awkward positions. Workloads also vary seasonally and with weather, and many workers continue working through pain because it is viewed as part of the job.
Would preventing back injuries require major workplace changes?
According to study participants, no — preventing back injuries would not require major changes in workplace practices, but there is a need for interventions tailored specifically to the horticulture industry and more formal training on injury prevention.
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