Gujarat: Work from home wrecked Amdavadis’ back

AHMEDABAD: Dimple Patel, 35, a resident of

Anandnagar

, began feeling the spasms on her upper back in June. She ignored them for a few days and her neck became stiffer as she could not maintain her normal posture. A doctor told Patel that her

work from home

schedule, coupled with domestic chores, had taken a toll on her back.

“While working from home, we often don’t have a dedicated

workstation

,” said Dr Nehal Shah, the principal of SBB College of Physiotherapy. “The dining table or a table in the drawing room becomes the laptop stand. The couch or the bed becomes the sitting spot for hours together.”

Dr Shah went on to say: “Wrong postures have greatly strained the neck, back, and wrists of many.”

At the physiotherapy centre headed by Dr Shah on the VS Hospital premises, more than half of the OPD cases involve homemakers with musculoskeletal problems. Dr Shah said psychosomatic disorders may play a part in causing stiffness in the neck and pain in the upper back. “They could also be a manifestation of stress,” she said.

Dr K M Annamalai, the head of the department of physiotherapy at a private Ahmedabad hospital, said that online education has affected children who often have bad postures while attending classes. “We suggest the 90-90-90 rule for sitting on a chair: back and thighs should form the 90° angle, knees should remain at 90°, and ankles and feet should be at the 90° angle,” he said. “We also suggest that people designate a spot at home as ‘office’ to mentally and physically be in that zone and maintain discipline. It’s not advisable to frequently change the place of work.”

He also suggested ‘digital detox’ as a way to ensure back and neck health. “It has been observed universally that our screen time increased during the lockdown months and beyond,” said Dr Annamalai. “Viewing laptops, tablets, and smartphones from unusual angles can lead to a range of issues. We advise light exercises at regular intervals to avoid the complications of the sedentary lifestyle.” Dr Manish Trivedi, a physiotherapist at Apang Manav Mandal Physiotherapy Centre, said that the facility has recorded a rise in the number of women seeking physiotherapy interventions over the past few months. “The women had to work for office and home. So we had several cases of mental and physical fatigue leading to back pain,” he said.