We are seeing lots of patients at the moment with ‘lockdown back pain’. What we mean is that whenever you have a change in lifestyle it can have an effect on the health of the spine. In 2020, many people suddenly stopped doing their normal work and their usual exercise routine. Instead, they often found themselves sitting for more of the time, in front of the TV or working at a laptop.
They were sitting on the couch or a dining chair, at a table, rather than on an office chair at a desk. Sometimes people were working, or studying, on the floor or on their bed, snatching hours to get things done in between child care, or working late at night if they were sharing a computer. Exercise was often restricted to walking or cycling, with gyms and swimming pools closed and team sport banned. The stress, anxiety and fatigue didn’t help.
Inevitably, after a few months, their neck and back started to complain. Sometimes the pain was new to the person, sometimes it was a flare up of old symptoms. We normally see this pattern when there’s a significant life change, such as a new job, a new baby, or some such alteration in routine. But this year it’s off the scale, in terms of numbers, because so many of us have experienced a big life change at the same time.
Here to Help
Osteopaths can help you get back to health, but have a think about the changes that have affected you and what you might do to bring more comfort and ease to your body. See this post on sitting posture, for example. If some of the tension in your body is from stress and anxiety, try one of the guided meditations on Insight Timer or Headspace. A change in lifestyle doesn’t have to mean pain!
Osteopaths are classed as essential workers so we are open and you are allowed to come and see us, after some checks on your covid status.