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A Kelowna chiropractor says he is seeing more cases of aches and pains related to patients working from home during the pandemic.

“The most common injuries we see are due to jobs that require a lot of sitting. Desk jobs are typically the worst for a lot of health problems and even for spinal decay that we see on X-ray,” said Ryan Harris, owner of Glenmore Chiropractic Inc.

In his clinic, those with jobs that require a lot of movement, such as construction, aren’t coming in as frequently, while he’s seen an increase in desk-related injuries.

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“The people that are required to sit at a desk are a lot worse because they don’t have the ergonomics they had at work. They don’t have the right set up for their computer, they don’t have the right chairs that they’re sitting on," Harris said.

More people are reporting problems with their necks, shoulders and lower backs, he said.

“It’s not only that, it’s the stress of everything too. Stress increases inflammation in your body and makes your symptoms and injuries worse when stress levels are high and a lot of people are stressed out because of the COVID situation,” he said.

“Because the ergonomics are so poor at home… there’s no doubt I’m seeing more of (these) types of injuries than repetitive stress injuries, (as with electricians, or plumbers),” he said.

The most common injuries he’s seen related to desk jobs are those related to the upper back and neck, he said.

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“For every inch forward your head sits, it puts twice the amount of leverage on your neck,” he said.

For those of us who are using laptops at home, he recommends putting books underneath it so the screen sits at eye level, or to use an external monitor.

Your elbows to wrist should be either parallel to the ground or slightly sloped downwards, he said.

He also recommends that deskers get up every 20 minutes, even if it’s to grab a glass of water or to stretch.

“Nobody should be sitting at a couch, because you want your body to be at right angles when you sit,” Harris said.

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