Two-thirds of under 30s report suffering from ‘Covid back’

Lockdown has taken its toll in so many ways but you might not have been expecting this one

Approximately two-thirds of under 3os are now suffering from the recent health phenomenon known as 'Covid back'. According to research carried out by Mentholatum, the manufacturers of Deep Heat, Deep Freeze and the team spearheading the www.mindyourbackuk.com campaign, 64 per cent of 18-29-year-olds have reported back problems in the past 18 months. Because of lockdown regulations and the various facets of working at home throughout the pandemic, young people are thought to have been experiencing the kind of back problem usually associated with older age groups. Whether it be not having a proper work from home set-up with a desk and a chair etc., to bunking off to play video games all day or even being hunched over cooking and eating while you couldn't go out for food - most people's lockdown lifestyles have left a mark. The person writing this literally has a bad back as he is typing. The public health survey goes on to explain that back problems cost the UK around £10billion a year through lost work, productivity and other expenses, adding that four in 10 sick days are a result of a back issue. Dr Gill Jenkins, an advisor to the MindYourBack campaign, said that: "For the six in ten Brits who have been mostly or always working from home during the pandemic and are now hybrid working, almost half don't have constant access to a table and supportive chair during their working day." She went on to add that while the 20 per cent that work from their bed or the sofa might think this is the comfier option, "this plays absolute havoc with posture and spine health" and with employees working an average of 48 minutes more per day while at home, this does not bode well. So, if you're still working mainly from home and having back issues, now is as good a time as any to get your set-up sorted - even if you aren't having any trouble yet, in fact: 'prevention is better than the cure', as they say. On top of everything else, Covid back is the last thing anyone needs right now.

Related links:

• Chris Whitty warns it is ‘inevitable’ unvaccinated children will catch Covid
• Unvaccinated Premier League players face exclusion from plans to relax red-list rules
• How Britain learned absolutely nothing from panic-buying bog roll and pasta