In the first month of a new year, especially one on the heels of a pandemic that is still plaguing the land and, at the same time, complicated by historic social and political strife, you may want to curl up in a ball until it all goes away. The problem is that inactivity, lack of human contact and being exposed to the same sights, sounds and people every day is simply not healthy.

It can all become a deep daily rut from which you cannot seem to escape. Boredom and ennui in huge doses not only lead to lethargy and depression, blunting your mental acuity, but they also have their physical repercussions, capable of transforming an active, reasonably healthy person into a physical wreck.

Kinesio® Taping is a registered trademark — because of the process, which is a rehabilitative technique or method, but also because of the tape itself. Knowing how to use that tape to promote healing, ease pain of injury and improve strength is, in itself, a healthcare specialty. It is effective on virtually any person of any age and utilized or prescribed by pediatricians, family physicians and geriatricians.

In the year of the pandemic, there’s another health threat disrupting many lives, and being sheltered at home is a cause, not a deterrent. It may not have the lethal potential of COVID-19, but it does have harmful consequences as chiropractors across the country are reporting, according the American Chiropractic Association.

If you are among the more than 40 percent of working Americans who can still do their jobs remotely by staying at home, you may have already discovered it’s a pain in the neck— and the back as well. It may not be as dramatic as home front injuries like falling off ladders and mishaps working with tools, but sitting and working hours on end on a computer is taking its toll in musculoskeletal injuries and stresses.

There is exciting news for people suffering from chronic low back pain who have experienced relief from acupuncture and are opposed to turning to risky pharmaceuticals and surgery. Dr. Rick Lambert, Medical Director at Montvale Health Sport + Spine in Montvale, NJ, is pleased to report the decision from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made earlier this year: Medicare will cover acupuncture treatments for chronic low back pain (cLBP) under the provisions of the Social Security Act.

In a previous blog we considered some of the causes of stress when you’re quarantined or sheltering in place and some of the things you can do to ease that stress.

Things may be loosening up now, but it is not over yet. There is nothing social about covering half of your face and staying a couple of arm-lengths away from just about everyone except those who live under the same roof with you.