CAPE TOWN - Factors such as a lack of activity, and many people being confined to their homes for prolonged periods of time, has seen some people experience an increase in back pain.
These factors have been brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen countries locked down for extended periods of time.
With Backcare Awareness Week, next week, experts say prolonged periods of sitting with the incorrect posture can increase the stress put on your spine and surrounding supportive muscles.
Kobus Uys, an orthopaedic surgeon at Mediclinic Durbanville Hospital, who specialises in spinal and trauma surgery, said: “Many patients reported back pain since the onset of Covid-19 and did not have chronic back pain prior to the lifestyle changes and adjustments.
“The work-from-home orders under lockdown regulations changed people’s routines and way of work. This resulted in reduced physical activity with prolonged periods of sitting down often resulting in lower lumbar muscle pain.
“Gyms, golf courses, and sports clubs were closed and people had to find new ways to keep fit but some did not seek an alternative way of exercising.”
Marietjie Martin, a senior physiotherapist at Martin Bruwer Wege (MBW) Physiotherapists, said: “Our practice experienced a lot more back and neck related problems during the pandemic. People are sitting in home offices where the workspace is not an ideal set up.
“Also, I find people are working much longer hours which all add up to increased strain/overload on the joints in the spine,” she said.
Matthew van der Merwe, a senior physiotherapist at Adriaanse & Associates physiotherapists, said: “Back pain has always been a problem, (however), since Covid-19 came to the party, people had to make adjustments to their daily lives, but some of those adjustments have not been healthy ones.
“This has led to an increase in posture-related back problems as many were unable to take their ergonomic office equipment home with them.”
Mandy Naidoo, physiotherapy manager at Karl Bremer Hospital, said incidents of patients with back pain have increased over the last few months, but it was difficult to say whether it was linked only to “working from home during the Covid period”.
“There are a few isolated cases that we can identify, who never had back pain before, but now, since working from home, have experienced some form of back pain or discomfort. This could be due to the fact that people now had to convert a space in their house into an office,” she said.
Lynn Karelse, a physiotherapist at Groote Schuur Hospital, said prolonged periods of sitting with the incorrect posture can increase the stress put on your spine and surrounding supportive muscles.
“Additionally to this, added weight gain and inactivity from a sedentary lifestyle due to the pandemic, these are all risk factors for an increased risk of injury,” said Karelse.
Gail Rainers, who has had back problems since 2007 and had three operations, said: “The nursing staff at the day hospital has always been excellent, but as a chronic pain sufferer, I rely on pain medications such as voltaren injections, which were not available to me (during the pandemic).”
Weekend Argus