Since the outbreak of the Covid19 virus, life has been turned upside down. While the direct issues are very well documented, there are countless side effects or other impacts in life that have affected us all. In the commercial world of course many businesses have been forced to close their doors for good while other businesses have been able to adapt and change the way they operate. One such way many businesses, both large and small have adapted is through having their employees work from home.
Working from home has many plus points. Fewer cars on the road, no commuting so workers have more time to themselves, and much more. There are many downsides as well. Social interactions are now limited to email, zoom meetings and the like. One other issue that has resulted from the pandemic is a new pandemic that chiropractors are seeing, and that’s an increase in back and neck pain complaints due to poor home office set ups.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the media even. This recent New York Times article has done a superb job of highlighting issues and has mentioned a few solutions as well.
We at Back and Body Pain Relief couldn’t put it any better. We too have seen an increase in patients with back and neck pain due to working from home. What was supposed to be a two week shut down to help the ERs cope with the influx of patients has drawn out to 5 months at time of writing, and shows no signs of slowing down. While we are in a better place than the spring, the continuing issues have led companies to rethink and allow their employees to continue to work from home. How long this will last, who knows. Maybe this will be the future of this type of work?
However, the issues are the same. Poorly set up home offices contribute significantly to patient back and neck pain. The article highlights some of the other major reasons back and neck pain issues have increased. In the office, there was more activity, walking to meetings, to the coffee/snack machines, walking to colleagues desks and so on. This no longer happens so people are sitting for longer. What’s more they are sitting for longer at poorly executed home office spaces. Some people work from their sofas which really puts a strain on the back when looking at a laptop!
It is therefore vital for a proper home office setup to be executed if possible. A separate space or room with a good quality desk, chair and equipment.
If this isn’t possible, the article does point out some inexpensive ways to help improve situations.
One way, if using a laptop is to get an external keyboard and mouse. Place the laptop on some books to bring the monitor up to eye level. Then the mouse and keyboard at the proper height on the desk or table you are using.
If your chair isn’t the right height, place a cushion or two on it to boost your height.
The third point it brought out was to get up from your work area often. Set a timer on your phone to go off every 15 minutes to remind you to change position. Every half an hour have it go off to remind you to get up and do some stretches.
These three simple tips will help to prevent back and neck pain. We would hope your company would at least provide you with proper equipment for you to use at home, but if not, these three inexpensive ways will help in some way.
Obviously, the best way is to have a similar setup at home as you would at your regular office, but your own home may not even have the space to allow this.
If you are in pain, back, neck or other muscoskeletal issues, we are here for you. Open every day of the week from 10am to 7pm to help you out of pain. Schedule an appointment or simply call (908) 325-3000. Same day appointments are often available.
Also, don’t forget to check out the New York Times article as it is very comprehensive in what it covers.
