"Working from home" is no longer a new terminology in the global space today.
Everywhere, both in developing and developed countries we have had to adapt to the changing tides in how we approach work.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic razed the world and shook our systems, a lot of things have had to change and that includes how we interact with one another and how we do our work.
People have had to stay indoors for days, weeks, months and work from there. They have had to interact with people from there and oddly enough engage in social activities from the "comfort" of their home desk or bed if you wish.
And this trend and style of work has sort of stuck with us even beyond the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have sort of gotten accustomed to doing almost everything 'remotely'.
Every now and then, we would rather meet with people on zoom meetings or online video calls than step out of our houses.
We have built a NEW CONVENIENCE from COVID-19: THE REMOTE SOCIAL SPACE.
And this comes with a lot of changes than one might not be able to exhaust at once, but in this video, I touch one important one that affects our health.
And that's because I have had a fair share of experiences from this change and I have got some significant complaints from patients since after the COVID-19 heat.
It all has to do with Posture-related back and neck pains, from prolonged sitting hours on uncomfortable chairs that make us take up straining postures while at our desks or even while just relaxing.
Like I mentioned, a lot of things have gmhad to change about how we do things since COVID came... and that includes long hours of sitting in front of a screen.
A significant amount of people developed backpain as an aftermath of the Lockdown.
We weren't prepared for this change. People would have to sit for longer hours than usual on their already uncomfortable chairs or couches at home.
In fact, quite a number of people probably found out that the majority of furniture in their homes were just fancy-looking pieces that carried very litle essence of comfort in them.
I bet people would have had to buy new chairs, redesign their furniture and their home spaces just to get the needed comfort they desire... I had to.
I changed my studio chair twice within the year.
This article shows how COVID has made people adapt their homes to suit their comfort
In essence, COVID brought about new problems and questions on how we should live our lives.
In the video above, I explore the simple things you can do to ensure that you avoid straining positions that can cause back pain, neck pain or pains in the joints from poor sitting postures, and they include:
- Getting the right chair for you
- Learning correct sitting postures
- Ensuring you engage your physical therapist or doctor when you have significant pain or discomfort from sitting.
I hope the points in the video above might help.
Physiotherapists what do we think? @blackdaisyft
References:
- Backpain: An Aftermath of COVID-19? Malta Perspective
- Effects of COVID -19 Pandemic Lock Down on Posture in Physiotherapy Students: A Cross Sectional Study
- CNBC
▶️ 3Speak
This is very educational.
I have definitely had ton of backpain recently. I usually just ignore it - so it has become a part of the new "normal" too.
It would be nice to fix it, though! Will definitely try this out.
Thank you for this!
You're welcome.
The earlier you attend to it, the quicker you get comfortable.
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It is really great to share this..
The work at home people will benefit..
Gamers, bloggers and the likes.
Some ergonomics can really safe from some severe pain.
Yes. A lot of people work from home now. In fact, a lot of previously on-site workers have become work-from-home workers now due to the onset of COVID.
A. Big opportunity..
Transport fare
Pollution
Time
Comfort..
Challenges do cause changes.
This COVID in particular brought tons and tons of changes.
A lot of new stuff, problems and innovative solutions keep coming up.
What an excellent article Dray! 👌👌👌 Really enjoyed hearing you talk, you have very fluid speech 😊
I feel this almost constantly! It's like leaving the house is now the most challenging, most energy-consuming task ever... 😩😩 It really is something I try to fight and force myself to leave the house more often, especially on days I'm off work. I much rather stay at home now than before the pandemic 😞
About your tips towards sitting posture you really nailed it! 🤘🤘 that is the most consensual "right" posture for a sitting position.
But if I may, I would like to take this opportunity to deepen the discussion about back pain 😊 If you noticed, I said "right" posture - right being under inverted commas - because there's a saying I usually pass on to my patients. I don't like to refer to a posture as good or bad because there's no way I could define such a generalized posture for everyone and claim it's the right one for their body.
With this, I mean not everyone will have the same physiological curvature of the back. In my opinion, it's not so much the posture you're in that causes trouble or pain but rather the amount of time you spend in each one. Because if I work 8h a day on a computer, even if we split into 2 periods of 4h in a row sitting down, over the accumulation of the years, I bet that person will still develop some functional dysfunction or pain. Even more so, if that person has sedentary behaviors.
Yes, having a more aligned posture is ideal and we should adapt our workstations according to these recommendations, but I can't get there comfortably if I don't work my body and I don't move it around enough. Like I always say when people ask me about what's the best posture...
The best posture is always the next one 😉
From another perspective, I could even put more strain on a person's body if I do a specific recommendation without knowing the person's body, it's functional compensations, and the stories it tells. Imagine a person with cervical hyperlordosis who works on her computer 8h/day in a leaning front posture. If I ask that person to sit for 8h with their neck more extended and lower back support that person would feel pain after a while. Because that person's body isn't costumed to more extended ranges of motion, let alone holding it for a great amount of time.
Therefore, to be in a more accurate position without discomfort or without risking causing other joint dysfunctions, I must first work on the mobility of the joints, actively. 😊
Ufff! Sorry for the long comment hehehe but I hope you find my point of view interesting to read 😆 Take care 🤗
Thanks for the input. I quite on the concept of mobility you have explained.
I never saw things that way.
Sitting postures will surely be different in some respect for different people like you said, especially when there is already a deformity.
This hit differently but is so true in real life terms.
Thanks once again for checking in!