Working from home can be both a blessing and a curse – in light of the current Pandemic, many working situations have changed and with that, comes a new set of health issues.
Our circumstances have changed numerous times over the decades, however, our body’s response to stress hasn’t. If you are wondering why you’re all of a sudden experiencing pain and stiffness, you’re not alone.
The fight-or-flight response is triggered when we are exposed to a threat either physically or psychologically. This is the body preparing itself to react to a danger, and it comes from a very primal state of survival. We might wonder why modern societies are plagued by manifestations of syndromes – depression, obesity, and autoimmune diseases, to name a few – when environmental stressors seem to have diminished (no more threats of a T-Rex eating your family ha!), our body’s stress response hasn’t.
Our stress response starts to alter normal body functions in order to prepare for survival. This includes changes to blood flow, breathing, digestion, heart rate, and cognition. For example, sitting for prolonged periods whilst working from home can shorten your posture and cause issues with breathing. You could be directing blood flow from your extremities to assist the major organs. This results in muscle pain and stiffness.
Patients coming to the clinic are showing this spinal stiffness, fatigued muscles, headaches, and movement problems. Chiropractic can help “turn down the noise”, resetting your flexibility and getting you moving again!
About the author
