Back ache, neck pain and other physical ailments often fade away when the sufferer retires, according to new research from Sweden.

A study conducted at the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University found that reaching retirement age can bring about significant improvements in a person's health, the Daily Mail reports.

Researchers looked at data from 14,700 people, both seven years before and seven years after they stopped working, to find out how retirement affected their lives.

"To retire has a huge effect on your health … We immediately become eight to ten years younger," lead researcher Hugo Westerlund told the newspaper.

"That goes for people at all levels, from directors to low-level workers."

According to the study, existing conditions such as back ache and neck pain diminished or disappeared entirely for many retirees.

For people who cannot wait until they retire to alleviate painful back problems, ultrasound could provide a solution.

The technique has been used to treat back conditions since the 1940s and helps to reduce inflammation and ease pain by sending ultrasonic waves to the muscle tissue.