A new survey by Hinge Health, Inc., a digital clinic provider for joint and back pain, reveals that working from home may be harming American’s mental and physical health.
Working From Home May Be Hazardous to Your Back and Joints
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Secondary#covid19#hingehealth#newhealthrisksoftheremoteworkplace2020
In June 2020, Hinge Health completed a survey of more than 900 U.S. remote workers. It just released the results in a report titled “New Health Risks of the Remote Workplace 2020.”
The report exposes the state of the remote workplace for a large portion of the population. According to the report, 56% of U.S. workers have jobs that can be done from home.
Working from home brings its own challenges as remote workers make do with less than ideal working conditions. Part one of the survey focused on the state of remote work during COVID-19.
When asked where they spent most of their time working, only 33% of remote workers had a dedicated office space. Half reported working from a desk, with 46% working in a shared living space, 15% working from the dining table, and 11% working on the couch.
Remote working conditions continue to suffer as employees must utilize inferior workstations. Only 12% had a standup desk and less than half (48%) reported having a comfortable desk chair that supports their back.
Another challenge for remote workers is lack of movement. One in three workers surveyed said that lack of movement is their biggest challenge working from home. Remote workers have limited opportunity for movement as virtual meetings replace in person meetings and walks to the couch replace walks to the water cooler.
Part two of the survey focused on the state of employee health in the remote workplace. Perhaps in conjunction with less than ideal working conditions, remote workers reported an increase in back and joint pain. Since working from home, 45% reported back and joint pain. Of those reporting pain, “71% said the pain has either gotten worse or it’s a new pain they’re experiencing since working from home.”
Unfortunately, much of this pain is not being treated. Forty percent of respondents said that they wished to avoid back and joint surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 8% of respondents are receiving physical therapy. Most respondents are self-treating their pain. Two-thirds of respondents are doing stretching exercises at home and 60% are taking over-the-counter or prescription medication to treat their pain.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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