Working from home is causing back, neck, shoulder pain for Australians

Working from home at the desk is leaving millions of Aussie workers nearly crippled. Experts explain how to fix it.

Millions of Australians are suffering for the opportunity to work from home, with neck, back and shoulder pain becoming the new norm.

A survey of 1000 working age Australians commissioned by Endeavour College of Natural Health finds about two thirds suffer soreness from using devices such as computers, phones and tablets – up about 10 per cent since 2019.

It comes as the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals workers are now almost twice as likely to be working from home – or in a hybrid arrangement alternating between home and the office – than before the pandemic.

Two in five (41 per cent) worked from home at least once a week in February, 2021, compared with 24 per cent before March, 2020.

Endeavour College national program manager of massage Anthony Turri says it is vital for remote workers to have an ergonomic office set up and incorporate regular movement, massages, stretches and strengthening exercises.

“While there are many benefits to technology, staring at an iPad with a crook neck or hunching over a laptop can cause long-lasting effects especially when it comes to the spine and neck,” he says.

“This can cause many ongoing health problems including impacting posture, which affects everything from breath to energy and sleep.”

Exercise scientist and remedial massage therapist Georgina Turelli says easy stretches and exercises can help remote workers. Picture: Supplied

Research commissioned by the Australian Chiropractors Association for Spinal Health Week last week finds more than half (53 per cent) of Australians suffering back and neck pain have lost sleep as a result.

Others say it has caused physical exhaustion (40 per cent) or mental exhaustion (34 per cent) or negatively affected their concentration levels (31 per cent), ability to go out with

friends (18 per cent) or relationship with their partner (9 per cent).

So what can people do to combat work-from-home pains?

CHAIR TWERK

Exercise scientist, remedial massage therapist and Endeavour College of Natural Health massage lecturer Georgina Turelli recommends this exercise to target the hips.

“Sit upright in your chair and imagine that your hips are a bowl of water,” she says.

“As you start to tilt the bowl forward, you tip a little bit of water out the front.

“Then roll your hips back like your tipping a little bit of water out the back.

“Repeat this forward and backward rocking motion slowly 15-30 times, making sure your only tipping a small amount of water each time and not the whole bowl.”

GOLDILOCKS ROLLS

These are perfect for neck pain, upper back pain or shoulder pain, but the key is to do them not too fast or too slow, but “just right”.

“Sit up in your chair, pull your shoulders up to your ears then pull your shoulder blades back and together,” Turelli says.

“Now glide those shoulders down away from the ears whilst holding them back, squeeze and hold for five to 10 seconds, then relax and repeat five to 10 times.”

ARMPIT SNIFF

Turelli says this stretch is for tight muscles in the back of the neck that can lead to headaches.

“Sit up straight then rotate your head and direct your nose to your armpit as if you’re giving it a sniff,” she says.

“Using the same arm as armpit, lift your hand to the back of head to gently assist the neck forward for a little extra stretch.

“Hold each side for 10 seconds and repeat a couple of times whenever your neck feels tight.”

POSTURE POLE

After a long day in a hunched position typing, taking calls or driving, this exercise is “a great way to counterbalance all that forward motion”.

Turelli says to start by grabbing a foam roller or a rolled mat or towel.

“Lie backwards on it length ways on the ground so it runs from your bottom to the top of your head,” she says.

“Then open your arms out to the side making a giant T shape and stay here for up to 15 minutes allowing your chest to open and your spine and shoulders to reset.”

Mardi Brown stretches out her problem shoulder in between work tasks Picture: Brenton Edwards

Financial analyst Mardi Brown, 44, has been suffering from sore shoulders and pins and needles in her hands from typing on her computer.

She gets painful bursitis in both shoulders and, if left unattended, her arm can freeze.

After working from home full time for six months last year, she realised it caused her symptoms to flare up so has now returned to the office.

“(My advice for others suffering work-from-home pain is) don’t wait too long before seeking help from a professional, set up a good routine of regular breaks and stretches, (and) turn off the computer at night to remove the temptation to check emails,” she says.

Originally published as Working from home is causing back, neck, shoulder pain for Australians