Are you flopping over your coffee table or sinking in the comfort of your bed right now as you work from home? Pause, and take a quick look at yourself. If you’re slouching, guilty of having a text neck, or curled up in a ball, don’t be too quick to get overly comfortable! You’re probably going to pay with a badly shaped spine. But…we’re sure that some of you will have defensive queries as to why you might think you’re alright. And that is why we got Dr Matt Kan, Senior Consultant and CEO of Chiropractic First to tackle some interesting questions that you might have:

I do yoga regularly, which helps to keep my body feeling balanced and aligned. Shouldn’t that be enough?

Dr Matt Kan (MK): Yoga poses like a downward-facing dog may help relieve a headache, while stretching the neck from side to side can improve your flexibility and reduce the pain. However, be cautioned that without professional supervision, stretching or yoga may aggravate existing problems if it’s done incorrectly or too forcefully.

What about Thai massages? I feel relieved after they help to crack my back too!

MK: Of course, you’ll feel good after a massage! But isn’t the effect only temporary? The neck pain or lower back pain caused by the stressors of working from home will still come back to haunt you. In fact, did you know that you may feel pain at various parts of your body, but the root cause usually comes from one place – the spine? On top of these pampering massages, you should take the next step by identifying the root cause of the problem and addressing it instead.

I use an expensive standing desk and ergonomic chair that should help with my posture!

MK: Are you still hunching? This is natural when your monitor is set below eye level – even while you’re standing. To solve this, make sure your desk and chair are attuned to the correct adjustments – set your monitor above eye level and alleviate your laptop with an extender so that you will naturally sit up tall which refrains you from slouching. To reduce tension in the shoulders and keep them relaxed, try placing your keyboard and mouse on the lap when seated. Correct the heights of your table and chair to prevent your legs from dangling and to relieve the shoulders from tension.

Those viral ‘popping’ and ‘cracking’ TikTok videos are really satisfying to watch but how can chiropractic care REALLY help my back?

MK: Working from home may be uncomfortable if you suffer from chronic pain. Without ergonomic office setups or access to a physical therapist, your body may begin to ache and your condition may worsen. Regular chiropractic adjustments will help reduce the stresses on the vertebrae and realigning the spine helps with reducing compression on the nerves. Not only that, it will help in improving sleep quality hence boosting your concentration, mood and performance the next day!

Dr Kan further advises that to alleviate back pain when you’re home, it is best to get moving and stretch every hour as per the infographic above. Don’t forget that while working from home means that we can be comfortable, it is best to set up a proper workspace that isn’t your bed or the sofa and be mindful of your workspace ergonomics as well as sitting posture!

For more information about Chiropractic First, do visit their website https://www.chiropractic-first.org/.

Images: Adobe Stock (header) and Chiropractic First