A little over a year ago when this pandemic began, I was fearful for the world, my family, friends, and my physical therapy team. Along with the disease itself, the information from all the media platforms has created so much fear that 13 months later, our work environments, as well as some of our  family relationships, may have been and still are being affected in negative ways; emotionally, spiritually, or physically.

My 9 siblings and parents are still divided over how we believe this virus should be addressed. It has polarized many of us. I can only hope and pray that we will be able to put our 13 months of separation and isolation behind us to believe that we can get back to being the family we once were for the last 55-70 years.

I begin this month’s newsletter hopeful but a bit saddened. It was a little over a year ago that I had to furlough 21 of 34 of our team members. I was 3 weeks late in doing what I needed to do to save our clinic, but we did survive. It had been very hard for me, personally, to furlough so many of our staff, but happily, we were able to hire many back shortly afterwards. We all were affected by the isolation and challenges. Unfortunately, for the first time in 39 years, I didn’t enjoy going to work. What was once a warm, healing environment became a stressful environment for me where some patients would argue and/or complain about the one person wearing their mask incorrectly or another not wanting to wear the mask at all or another questioning why our clinic was open. (We are considered an essential business.)

I realize looking back that I never appreciated enough what we had before this pandemic hit. Within our clinic, some have now chosen to go into other professions or jobs, some went back to school, some chose not to work for a while, and one is recovering from a serious, non-Covid related health crisis. These changes in our staff have been painful for me, too.

For years, I have heard complaints from patients that they’d been told by other providers that they’d need to wait weeks or months to get their first physical therapy appointment. (This was always frustrating to me since we have been kept out of a number of insurance plans purposely, and could have helped so many of those waiting). We used to pride ourselves on being able to get people in within 24-48 hours of contacting us. We think it is so important to get our patients in quickly so they can begin to heal faster, but for the first time right now, we are not able to get people in as quickly as normal. Last April, our team was seeing only 20% of the number of patients we normally see. In the last couple months, however, that number has started climbing rapidly, (up to 90% in March).

This increase in patients feeling more comfortable to get help now with their injuries is a great thing, and at the same time, we are finding ourselves very short-staffed. I, now, have to apologize if you are finding yourself waiting to get into our clinic for your care. I understand your disappointment and even surprise, since this has never happened over the last 32 years. Our staff is working very hard. I hope and pray you will give us a little leniency. We are trying our best to hire additional staff in order to get you in more quickly and ensure that you will be treated with the same care to which you have become accustomed! We will not compromise our mission of providing exceptional care.

You have probably been hearing or reading how challenging it is to hire staff at this time. We are doing our best to get you in as soon as possible. We do not want you to be disappointed in the excellent care you deserve. Thanks for understanding. We will turn this around and be stronger every day! This is our promise to you as we work to get back to meeting your needs more quickly. I believe we all have the opportunity to come out of this pandemic stronger than ever before!

The pandemic has led to an increase in common, musculoskeletal back and neck pain for a variety of reasons beyond just our desk setups, Eric Robertson, a physical therapist and spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association, tells CNBC Make It.

For starters, people are missing out on physical activity that they’d normally get from their commute or routine, Robertson says. “Unless people are intentionally replacing their overall activity level and keeping up their exercise, everyone is moving a little bit less than they were,” he says. Research has shown that dramatic decreases in activity leads to increases in musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder and low back pain.

Psychological stress is often linked to back and neck pain, Roberston says. “Things like depression and anxiety, and fear about work can all translate to very strong predictors of who has back pain,” he says. Most people have been living with higher levels of persistent stress and anxiety due to the pandemic.

Of course, our creative, less-than-ergonomic WFH desks are partially to blame for muscle aches and pains. While you might be able to tolerate a day of working from the couch or sitting on an uncomfortable kitchen chair, in the long run, these habits can have a negative impact on your body and health.

It sounds counterintuitive if your back is stiff and aching, but “by far the most important thing to do when you have back pain is to continue your daily activities and to move more,” Robertson says. You might be worried that movement will only increase the pain, but that’s not the case. Studies suggest that getting regular exercise can reduce the frequency of recurring back pain attacks by almost half.

Exercising your cardiovascular system decreases stiffness and increases blood flow, which is great for your overall health and your back. “Frequent, small walks are phenomenal,” Robertson says. Research suggests that brisk daily walks can reduce the risk of neck pain by 14%. Get in the habit of walking 100 yards down the street when you notice your back hurting, using the stairs instead of the elevator or taking phone calls while you walk.

If you’re sitting all day, there are predictable muscles that get weak and tight, such as your hip flexors and your hamstrings and the muscles that stabilize your neck, Robertson says. Using a foam roller or small rubber ball on your glutes and hips can relieve tightness in your back. (This recent research paper includes diagrams of self-massage techniques and stretches that target your back. Or this YouTube video demonstrates how to foam roll for your lower back.)

Strengthening your abdominals and back muscles can also assist your back. Research has shown that doing three exercises, called “the McGill three” after the researcher who developed them, can reduce lower back pain. Here’s how to do them, according to the American Council on Exercise:

Other studies have shown that workouts that focus on abdominal strengthening, such as Pilates, can prove beneficial for people with back pain.

Making time to relax doesn’t only help your mental health, it also can help your back. A 2016 study found that mindfulness-based stress reduction activities, such as meditation or yoga, were as effective at reducing chronic back pain as taking pain medications.