“Working from home” are three words that have dominated our vocabulary and become a part of everyday life for many of us. While this new career set-up comes with some advantages (sleep-ins, super easy commutes, pyjamas as workwear!), it also comes with some distinct disadvantages - namely, the lack of a proper space from which to WFH.

A recent survey carried out by the British osteopathy Association found about 40% of those who work from home are doing so from their bedroom, or even from their bed. The idea of sitting at home on your laptop, perched on your knees, in bed or on the sofa, makes every chiropractor lose sleep!

Recently Craig McLean was interviewed by Healthy Magazine about the “posture pandemic” and the role WFH has played in our increasing spinal issues.

“Craig McLean, chiropractor and founder of Chiro London, believes that two factors were responsible.‘The combination of people working from home and feeling pretty stressed – both have the potential to create an abnormal amount of tension through the neck and shoulders.’

‘If you’re leaning forward, over a laptop, the muscles at the back of your neck have to work overtime just to hold your head up,’ says McLean. Meanwhile, worrying about the health, financial and social impacts of the pandemic might have caused us to tense up through our shoulders, contributing further to any posture issues. And while niggling pain might be a short-term symptom, a poor desk set-up can cause lasting damage over time. ‘The muscles at the front can get quite weak,’ says McLean. ‘Over time, the bones in the upper back get thinner at the front and stay the same height at the back, which creates a hunch.’ Luckily, there are some easy changes we can make to limit lasting damage.’

Click here to read the full article, which features Craig’s tips on how to lessen the impact of WFH on your spine, including how to set-up your work area to improve posture and simple stretches to increase spinal mobility.