Working from home is the new normal, and for many people, it’s a welcome change. A 2022 Pew Research survey shows that 59% of people whose jobs can be done from home have opted to stay home rather than go back to the workplace, and 76% say they prefer it.
Along with the shift from the workplace to home, we’ve seen an uptick in musculoskeletal problems. At Earthy Ruby in Cupertino, California, our patients come to us with neck, shoulder, and back pain related to their new work environment. Here’s a closer look at why this is happening and what we can do to help you.
Why it hurts to work from home
Despite the perks of comfortable clothing, a nearby fridge, and the ability to care for your kids, working from home has a few drawbacks. Chief among them is the lack of ergonomically sound office setups. At first, working from bed or your comfy couch may seem like the ultimate luxury, but your body soon rebels, and you end up with pain in your neck, shoulders, and back.
Most workplaces follow strict guidelines for creating ergonomically sound workstations. Desks are the proper height, and chairs and keyboards align with the individual worker. However, at home, people tend to work in various positions, such as lying in bed, slouched on a couch, or hunched over a coffee table. This puts excess strain on your neck, shoulder, and back muscles, leading to pain.
How to prevent work-at-home pain
You can avoid the pain in the neck that comes with working from home by making your workstation more muscle-friendly. Invest in a good office chair that adjusts to the right height and allows you to keep your feet flat on the floor, thighs parallel to the floor, back straight and supported, and hands at or slightly below elbow level.
Even if you have a good desk setup, staying in one position for too long causes muscle tension and pain. Take frequent breaks, get up from your chair, and walk around the room. Also, consider the option of a standing desk so you can opt to sit or stand throughout the day.
How we can help
At Earthy Ruby, we care for many Bay Area folks who’ve transitioned to working from home. We use a holistic approach that relieves your pain without medication, so you can stay focused on your work and avoid the dangers of drug dependence.
Massage therapy
Musculoskeletal pain isn’t the only problem inherent in working from home — stress, inflammation, and poor circulation also plague desk workers (at home and in the workplace). We address all these issues with specialized massage therapy.
Our experts offer several types of massage therapy to target your specific needs:
- Swedish massage
- Sports massage
- Deep tissue massage
- Trigger point massage
- Bio-electric massage
- Lymphatic drainage massage
- Cranial sacral massage
- Hot stone massage
Each type of massage focuses on different areas of your body using various techniques with specific purposes. Our team is highly experienced at getting to the root cause of your pain and tension and relieving it with expert hands-on manipulations. You’ll walk away relaxed, unstressed, and pain-free, so you can sleep better and work more efficiently.
Acupuncture
We’re proud to offer the traditional Chinese medicine practice of acupuncture at Earthy Ruby. Our wellness specialist, Jon Huang, LAc, is a master acupuncturist and has helped countless people overcome chronic pain and stress using this proven technique.
While you rest comfortably, we insert extremely thin needles into precise locations around your body. You barely feel the needle, but under the surface, it’s doing significant work in your nerves and muscles, rebalancing your body’s flow of energy and promoting self-healing.
Not only does acupuncture relieve pain, but it also increases energy, improves circulation, and reduces stress.
If working from home is giving you a pain in the neck — or shoulders, head, or back — call us to schedule an appointment, or book online soon.