Almost a quarter of people said they experienced musculoskeletal pain most or all of the time, and 46% said they had been taking painkillers more often than they would like. *

Top tips for working from home

Lockdown has resulted in many people working remotely, which can have an impact on your musculoskeletal system. Here, Physiotherapists from Spire Manchester Hospital and the OrthTeam Centre’s Neurosurgeons give their expert advice:

Headaches, neck and shoulder pain

Headaches can develop if you are sitting in an area of poor light and also as a result of excessive screen time, which can be caused by eyestrain.

To prevent eyestrain, you should:

• Take regular breaks from your laptop, phone etc.
• Do some gentle exercise or have a stretch
• Get outdoors for some fresh air, even if it's in your garden

If your neck and shoulders begin to ache whilst sitting, then you need to check the height of your monitor is correct and that you are sitting in an appropriate way.

• Try and sit in a room with good natural light
• Alter the height of your desk
• Try standing up rather than sitting, use an ironing board, chest of drawers or book case, if appropriate height for you
• If you are on a phone call, try walking around the house rather than sitting and take regular breaks

Hand and wrist pain

Your hands and wrists can be put under strain if they are not in a neutral position whilst using a keyboard.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when pressure is applied to the median nerve at the wrist and can lead to tingling, numbness and weakness of the wrist and fingers. This can develop with poor wrist posture.

Solution

• Make sure your wrists are as flat as possible when typing and NOT at an angle

Lower back pain

This is a very common symptom for people who sit for long periods of time and/or sit badly. It is impossible to sit for long periods of time well without having suitable measures in place.

Mr John Leach, Consultant Spinal Neurosurgeon at the OrthTeam Centre adds: “It is important to have a good home working set-up. Working on a laptop on a sofa is much more likely to be associated with lower back and neck pain, than working at an appropriate desk and chair.”

Solution

• Make sure you sit with your bottom at the back of the chair and with your feet touching the floor. If your feet don’t touch the floor, then you need the assistance of a foot rest. Feet touching the floor rather that tucked behind chair or sitting with your legs crossed has a massive benefit and will help absorb pressure off your lumbar spine
• If your chair doesn’t give you lumbar support, then you may need to purchase a lumbar roll which you place around your chair giving you support in the low back
• Try and resist sitting on the sofa
• Take regular breaks  

Leg cramps/tight hip flexors

When your legs start to cramp this is your body telling your posture is not good and you’re developing poor circulation.

Your hip flexors will also become tight if sitting for prolonged periods of time and will feel stiff when you get up off your chair.

Solution

• Get up regularly to keep circulation moving
• Make sure your feet are touching the floor and not crossed

Orth Team’s Consultant Neurosurgeon, Mr Ankur Saxena concludes: “It is common for people to suffer from neck and low back pain. In the majority of patients, no specific cause for the pain is found and symptoms tend to settle with gentle exercise and pain killers.

“In patients with severe pain, bed rest beyond four days can sometimes do more harm than good. You should seek help from a professional (GP or Physiotherapist) who will perform an assessment and refer to a specialist like a Neurosurgeon, if required."

References

* Versus Arthritis’ survey was conducted by Opinium and involved 1,040 UK workers who worked remotely during the lockdown.