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Spike in Work From Home Injuries Seen Across Australia

Sunday, August 2, 2020 10:03

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Spike in Work From Home Injuries Seen Across Australia

With a record number of Australians working from home due to covid-19, doctors are seeing a sharp rise in visits for musculoskeletal injuries (MSD), speaking to the need for more vigilance for anyone working remotely.

According to Dr Anthony Coxon, president of the Australian Chiropractors Association, up to 20% of patients making chiropractic visits lately are due to work related injuries, mostly stemming from poor ergonomics and lack of exercise at home.

Musculoskeletal Injuries

The type of injuries that doctors are seeing more of due to the move from office to home are called MSD, or musculoskeletal injuries. They include ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and back/neck pain that affect the muscles and tendons of the body.

Specifically, neck and back pain have become more prevalent as employees work out of makeshift workstations such as the kitchen or on the coach.

Reasons Behind the Spike in MSD

Safety specialist David Hall attributes a lot of the injuries people working from home are experiencing to the lack of ergonomically designed home workspaces.

“The main challenge that people have when they’re working on their computer is having their head poked down like a turtle,” Hall stated.

Companies select desks, keyboards, chairs, etc. to prevent ergonomic injuries while providing comfort to their workers. Spaces that workers use in their homes are not necessarily structured like their offices. Some workers use their couch as a work area. Others have a desk and chair, but the items in their home aren’t the same height as the ones in their office.

Australian Chiropractors Association President Dr. Anthony Coxon says that for every two and a half centimetres that our heads go forward past our shoulders, this doubles the strain of the muscles in the back of the neck. People working on their couch looking down at a laptop will cause more stress on their neck than a person keeping their head upright looking at the screen of their desktop in an office setting.

Ways to Prevent Chiropractic Injuries at Home

“Sitting is now being called the new smoking,” Coxon says. One of the best ways to combat these injuries is standing for a few moments each hour and getting exercise every day.

Coxon reminds us that not only will excessive sitting exacerbate chiropractic issues, but it can also increase the rate of other harmful conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and certain kinds of cancer.

“It is really critical that you get out of your chair often. At least every 30 minutes, you should be having a quick walk and a little stretch to move the body.”

In addition to moving every 30 minutes and standing when possible, stretching is another activity that is great for the body. If you can’t stand up and move at least once per hour, take a couple of minutes to stretch your back. Finding time to incorporate yoga into your workout routine is also a great way to prevent these types of work from home injuries.

Finally, regardless of where you’re sitting, always praciture good sitting posture. According to Ansell Chiropractic, this means sitting with your back straight and fully supported by the chair’s backrest and your two feet flat on the floor. Your forearms should be level with the desk surface.

Looking Ahead

The work from home trend is not going to reverse itself any time soon. Companies need to make adjustments to respond to these changes. To avoid opening themselves up to workplace injury complaints, they must take the time to help employees develop ergonomically safe office spaces. Meanwhile, employees should also start to take personal responsibility for the safety of their own work environment.

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