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Writer's pictureMarinus van Aarle, DOMP

COVID19 and The Rise of the Home Office

Updated: Jan 19, 2023

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a big shift in the way people work.

During the initial lock-down people exchanged their normal office for a home-office.

Working from a home-office comes with special challenges:


- Laptop usage:

Working form a home-office usually involves working on a laptop instead of a desktop computer. Laptops are build for portability, but are very bad ergonomically.

Investing in a laptop stand, plugin mouse, plugin keyboard or even a laptop doc with a separate ergonomically placed screen can make an enormous difference in reducing the strain on wrist, shoulder and back.


- Working at kitchen table or kitchen counter:

Many homes don't have a dedicated office set up. People end up working at a kitchen table or even a kitchen counter. Usually these places don't have a normal office chair but use a living room chair or even a bar-stool instead. Usually these seating solutions are far from ideal ergonomically. Especially sitting on a bar stool (with legs danging down) can put strain on the lower back and lead to back-pain.

Try to avoid bar-stools for office work and use a foot-stool to lift the knees above the pelvis if possible. This reduces the strain on the lower back.


- Other family members (and kids) being at home:

The lock-down period of the early COVID-19 pandemic was a big shift for many people.

Many people just started working from home and needed to get used to this new routine.

Less interaction with co-workers can be stressful for some people.

On top of this schools and day-cares were closed. Kids being at home while the parents need to work can lead to a whole array of new challenges.


- Less stress relief:

With gyms being closed it can be more challenging for some people to maintain their usual workout routine. Physical activity is important to relieve stress and keep the body flexible (preventing back-pain).


- The news:

These days it is possible to immerse yourself in hourly updates on the various stages of the pandemic all over the world.

Although sometimes useful this can be stressful.

Extra stress leads to extra pain.


- Osteopathy:

Osteopathy Treatment is very effective at relieving the pain and stress of working from home.

Osteopathy uses gentle stretches to loosen up the body and relieve pain.

Balanced Life Osteopathy is centrally located on Argyle Avenue.

Clients can use the free parking during the treatment.

Online booking is available.

Osteopathy is covered by major health insurance providers.

Come see us for Manual Osteopath Treatment to relieve the pain.






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