How modern work and lifestyles are changing the way we experience pain

Pain, once seen mainly as a result of ageing or injury, is now becoming a common part of everyday life. More often now, it is not injury but routine, such as the way we sit, work and live, that is shaping how our bodies respond. I have been in orthopaedic practice for more than three decades and what is concerning is that pain is occurring much earlier now than it used to, affecting individuals in their 30s and even late 20s.

The modern workplace, especially after the pandemic, with the rise of work from home patterns, has normalised prolonged sitting and improvised workstations. Dining tables double up as desks, sofas as office chairs and laptops are used for hours without ergonomic support. Unlike traditional occupational strain seen in manual labour, today’s stress is less obvious, low-grade and repetitive, building up over time.