Santa doesn’t just sit at a desk for work! He’s out exploring
the world, in and out of a sleigh, arranging
the assistance of others (elves and reindeer!) to do some
of the hard, back-breaking work. However, he also works from his
home/workshop which certainly creates stress and pain for him
like it does for the
rest of us who recently realized the dream of working from
home. However, we can learn from his example. He does not just sit
at a desk. He gets help for challenging chores. He moves!
Vancouver Disc Centers urges all of our Vancouver
work-from-home friends to do the same as well as received
pain-reducing 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 job for many
of us…until the dream came true. There are some stunning
stats on how work-from-home has changed so many
of us. One study of 232 telecom employees found 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 said
that they experienced more issues than men.) 30% worked in a separate room
at home, 32% worked in a dedicated area of a room with
other members of the home, 38% worked in a non-separate area like
the dining room. 41% did not sit in an office
chair; 32% sat in an ergonomic chair. 71% were bothered
by constant or intermittent disturbances.
52% worked longer hours. Only 30% took frequent
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 with the computer. (2) For the
work-from-home dream to come true with as little pain as possible
requires some preparation. Your Vancouver chiropractor is
up to the task to help you prep.
WORKING FROM HOME: THE SET UP
Any new venture needs a plan. Starting
without the plan backfires for many. 89% of
new-to-working-at-home workers who participated in a survey stated some musculoskeletal pain.
Upper back pain was said to be a result of
nonergonomic work environments with suboptimal computer
configurations while nonergonomic postures were related
to headache and low back pain. (3) A survey of university
employees found that 61% of them experienced
more musculoskeletal pain working from home with neck, shoulder and low back
pain being the most often experienced. Women stated
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! Regardless of the new
work-from-home trend that resulted in more sedentary
lifestyles, reduced physical activity, and more
musculoskeletal pain like back pain, researchers noted
that exercise and less sitting around successfully cut
low back pain and even ‘cured’ it for participants in their study. (5)
Vancouver Disc Centers presents some simple, gentle exercises for our
Vancouver chiropractic patients. Start them after we perform a thorough exam and you begin experiencing
relief with our gentle chiropractic spinal manipulation care.
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. John Murray on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares
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 Vancouver chiropractic
appointment soon. Be like Santa: move, get help with
the heavy lifting, alter your workspace! Happy Holidays!