Santa does not just work at his desk! He is out exploring
the world, in and out of a sleigh, arranging
the help of others (elves and reindeer!) to do some
of the hard, back-wrecking work. However, he also works from his
home/workshop which surely creates stress and pain for him
like it does for the
rest of us who now realize the dream of working from
home. However, we can learn from his example. He doesn’t just lounge
at a desk. He gets help for challenging chores. He moves!
Spinal Care Clinic urges all of our Burlington and Hamilton
work-from-home friends to do the same as well as get
pain-decreasing chiropractic treatment
for the back pain, neck pain, shoulder, and other pain(s) you may now have.
THE DREAM: WORK FROM HOME, LEARN AT HOME
Working from home: the dream of many…until the dream came true. There are some amazing
stats on how work-from-home has changed so many
of us. One study of 232 telecom employees documented that
39% had more pain in the low back, 48% in the upper back/neck, and 27% in their
hands. Only 33% reported not having any such
musculoskeletal pain issues. (Women related that they had more issues than men.) 30% worked in a separate room
at home, 32% worked in a dedicated area of a room with
other people of the home, 38% worked in a non-separate area like
the dining room. 41% did not sit in an office
chair; 32% had an ergonomic chair. 71% were troubled
by constant or occasional disruptions.
52% worked longer hours. Only 30% took recurrent
breaks. (1) Students underwent much the same as did workers when their learning and teaching was done
at home: low back pain for 73%, neck pain for 69%, shoulder pain for 59%. Influencing
factors for students were pain, academic stresses, personal/emotional issues,
work environment, and time in front of the computer. (2) For the
work-from-home dream to come true with less pain
demands some preparation. Your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractor is
eager to help you prepare.
WORKING FROM HOME: THE SET UP
Any new venture needs a plan. Starting
without the plan backfires for most. 89% of
new-to-working-at-home workers who replied
to a survey described some musculoskeletal pain.
Upper back pain was described as being a result of
nonergonomic work environments with suboptimal computer
configurations while nonergonomic postures were linked to headache and low back pain. (3) A survey of university
employees found that 61% of them had
more musculoskeletal pain working from home with neck, shoulder and low back
pain being the most often experienced. Women reported
significantly more pain than men. The height of the seat an the distance of
the monitor were significant risk factors
for discomfort and pain in work-from-home employees. (4)
HOPE FOR NEW WORK-FROM-HOME PAIN
There is hope! Despite the new
work-from-home trend that caused more sedentary
lifestyles, reduced physical activity, and greater
musculoskeletal pain like back pain, researchers noted
that exercise and less sitting around successfully decreased
low back pain and even ‘cured’ it for participants in their study. (5)
Spinal Care Clinic presents some simple, gentle exercises for our
Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients. Begin them after we go
through a thorough exam and you begin noticing
relief with our gentle chiropractic spinal manipulation care.
CONTACT Spinal Care Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. John Murray on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes
relieving chiropractic care for back and neck pain patients with The Cox®
Technic System of Spinal Pain Management on The Cox®8 Table.
Make your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic
appointment soon. Be like Santa: move, get help with
the heavy lifting, alter your workspace! Happy Holidays!