There has been a shift in worker culture over the past few years. With the lockdowns and restrictions happening, a lot of workers were forced to work from home. Some people see that as being a positive, sure. But did your body think the same thing? I started seeing a lot more patients over the past 2 years that came into the clinics for spinal pains. A lot of them told me the same thing too. They would report that they were working from home and didn’t have a great set-up for it. Was that true across the board? Did working from home cause more back pain for everyone?
BY THE NUMBERS…
A group of workers were surveyed during the height of the pandemic and working from home. Here is what they found regarding spinal pain.
• Neck pain worsened in 50% of people surveyed
• Only 8.3% had improvements in neck pain
• 47.6% of people with lower back pain experienced no changes
• 38.1% had worsening lower back pain
They also asked about their home office set up and found:
• 56.9% of people used a regular four-legged kitchen chair
• 70% were non-adjustable chairs
• 85% of people used regular, single topped tables
I USED THOSE TOO… IS THAT BAD?
Unfortunately, yes. People hate cubicle set ups or even how their office at work is set up, but most of the time, its done with purpose. We could always do things to improve our workstation. But when people were in work at the office, they had access to, the risers, footstools, adjustable office chairs, adjustable keyboards and monitors, etc. Some companies had expenses set aside expenses to reimburse workers for things like office chairs. Some did not.
I DON’T KNOW IF MY SET UP IS GOOD. HOW CAN I GET HELP?
Just ask! We are always available to answer questions and to give feedback about your workstation. At home, or even if you are back to working in the office, we could help. If you are having pain and think its from your workstation, give us a call. We would love to work with you to make your life easier and more fulfilling.
