Neck Pain in Office Workers During Covid Pandemic

    NEW YORK, NY, February 04, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As the new waves of the Omicron variety gain strength around the world, work-from-home, study-from-home and socialize-from-home models have been integrated by governments. The World Economic Forum has identified 5 dangers which harm our health during pandemic. They are the "DEMON" – Device addiction, Eye strain, Mental health, Obesity, and Neck pain – and if left unchecked, can quickly escalate into lifelong challenges. Neck pain patients are commonly seen at the chiropractic clinics and Chiropractic Doctors Association of Hong Kong (CDAHK) has conducted prospective studies on neck pain in Covid pandemic.

"Most people don't think about the way they are sitting or take corrective action until they have neck pain. Because it can take months to develop the pain. Its easy to change your spinal curve if you have bad posture," Dr Eric Chun-Pu Chu, leading researcher at NYMG and chairman of Chiropractic Doctors Association of Hong Kong.

"Many clinical studies had identified that poor posture can cause microtrauma and misalignment to your neck, and make you in pain (1, 2, 3, 4), dizziness (5,6,7), numbness (8.9), and stomach problems (10,11,12). When it becomes a chronic disease, its harder for the doctors to take care of the diseases," Chu said.

Understanding the patient's journey from the patient's point of view becomes crucial in managing chronic neck pain. New York Medical Group had also conducted a research by giving the theoretical framework for creating the patient experience (13). It helps many chiropractors to provide better care in the pandemic period.

"As the covid pandemic may not end shortly, chiropractors shall improve their care in chronic pain by addressing patient needs, increasing patient participation in their care, and progressing toward better outcomes and quality of life," Chu said.

Every area of our work and lives will be affected by the new Omicron variety. Those in lockdown or isolation who work or study from home need to address these dangers before problems escalate into lifelong challenges. Given we are in for the long-haul, people need to recognize the chronic neck pain lurking in their homes – and stay away from it.

References:
1) Chu ECP, Chakkaravarthy DM, Lo FS, Bhaumik A. Atlantoaxial Rotatory Subluxation in a 10-Year-Old Boy. Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord. 2020 Jul 1;13:1179544120939069.
2) Chu ECP, Lo FS, Bhaumik A. Plausible impact of forward head posture on upper cervical spine stability. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020 May;9(5):2517-2520. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_95_20. eCollection 2020 May.
3) Chu EC, Lo FS, Bhaumik A. Secondary atlantoaxial subluxation in isolated cervical dystonia-a case report. AME Case Rep. 2020;4:9. doi: 10.21037/acr.2020.03.03. eCollection 2020.
4) Chu ECP, Ng M. Long-term relief from tension-type headache and major depression following chiropractic treatment. J Family Med Prim Care. 2018 May-Jun;7(3):629-631.
5) Chu EC, Wong AY. Cervicogenic Dizziness in an 11-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report. Adolesc Health Med Ther. 2021 Nov 26;12:111-116.
6) Chu EC, Zoubi FA, Yang J. Cervicogenic Dizziness Associated With Craniocervical Instability: A Case Report. J Med Cases. 2021 Nov;12(11):451-454.
7) Chu ECP, Chin WL, Bhaumik A. Cervicogenic dizziness. Oxf Med Case Reports. 2019 Nov;2019(11):476-478. doi: 10.1093/omcr/omz115. eCollection 2019 Nov.
8) Chu ECP, Lin AFC. Neck-tongue syndrome. BMJ Case Rep. 2018 Dec 4;11(1). doi: 10.1136/bcr-2018-227483.
9) Chu ECP, Alleviating cervical radiculopathy by manipulative correction of reversed cervical lordosis 4 years follow-up. J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Nov;10(11):4303-4306.
10) Chu ECP, Lee LYK. Cervicogenic dysphagia associated with cervical spondylosis: A case report and brief review. J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Sep;10(9):3490-3493.
11) Chu ECP, Shum JSF, Lin AFC. Unusual Cause of Dysphagia in a Patient With Cervical Spondylosis. Clin Med Insights Case Rep. 2019 Dec 29;12:1179547619882707.
12) Chu EC, Butler KR. Resolution of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Following Correction for Upper Cross Syndrome-A Case Study and Brief Review. Clin Pract. 2021 May 21;11(2):322-326.
13) Chu ECP. The scalable approach to the Chiropractic patient journey. Asia-Pac Chiropr J. 2022;2.5. URL apcj.net/ papers-issue-2-5/#ChuPatientJourney

The Chiropractic Doctors Association of Hong Kong (CDAHK) is the largest professional chiropractic organization in Hong Kong and China. http://www.cda.org.hk

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