The last two years have spawned many new phrases, “Quarantine 15” and “Zoom Fatigue” being classics for us here in the Mi Crow nest.
However, we’ve just discovered another…“Pandemic Posture”.
A recent article in the Harvard Health Review asked the simple question, “Is Pandemic Posture real?”.
The answer, a resounding “YES” from Dr David Binder, an Orthopaedic Physiatrist and director of innovation at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
Dr Binder confirmed a rise in complaints of lower back and neck pain, likely brought about through extended periods of sitting whilst working.
“But we’ve all done that for years” I hear you crow.
This is true. However, we’ve primarily been working in ergonomically designed facilities with properly configured workstations. Now so many of us are working from home (still) we’re not sitting so comfortably, or at least, we’re not sitting CORRECTLY.
Cue “Pandmeic Posture”.
However, on further reading, this isn’t a sudden-onset syndrome.
This may well have been building up as a problem for years.
Earlier this year, Robert DeStefano, a chiropractor who works with the New York Giants, told the New Yorker:
“It might take years for bad posture to rear its head, but the effects are cumulative. You might feel fine, fine, fine for a long time, and then you go to bend down and pick something up and your back goes into spasm.”
Trust me, on recent experience, we’ve been there here in the Crow’s Nest.
In fact, it hit one of our flock just last week after a standard grooming ritual (a wet shave for ref – editor) went horribly, spasmodically wrong.
Whilst there’s no quick fix, we all know that prevention is better than cure.
Luckily for you we’ve got a video all about this which you can watch right here https://wi.st/2X5Im5E
Just promise us you will sit up properly to watch it!
