Over the last eight months so much about the way we live our lives has changed.
For some, lockdown meant a stop to team sports or exercise classes. Others found themselves working from home, balancing a laptop on the sofa or hunched over the kitchen table homeschooling.
Many of us have seen a change to the amount and type of movement we do each day, and although gyms and offices are now reopening we're still a long way from being back to normal.
For those who specialise in treating back pain, the reopening of their clinics has seen an influx of new patients.
Chartered physiotherapist Suzanne Creighton, from 360 Health in Lisburn, says she has seen lots of people with back pain.
"It's definitely linked to the effects of lockdown and working from home," she tells me. "People have been sitting for prolonged periods, doing less exercise and moving less. Even things like a daily commute would be an opportunity to move. Our activity levels have dropped.
"When it comes to back pain, movement is medicine. There's also a big link between stress, anxiety and pain. So we have to think about the anxiety we've all been through during lockdown and how that feeds into our physical health."
Pain relief specialist Dympna Hannon, who runs The Hannon Clinic on Upper Crescent, Belfast, has also seen a lot of people complaining of pain caused by the changes to their lifestyle since lockdown.
She explains: "For some people it's related to posture. They're working from home, on the sofa or at the kitchen table, with kids hanging off them, and there's no lumbar support for the lower back.
"The average adult human head weighs 12lbs, so when you're looking down at a laptop or tablet screen that weight causes problems down your neck and shoulders.
"Muscles also become tight when your exercise levels drop; they're not warm or toned. I've also seen people who are having problems with old injuries because they're not moving their bodies as much."
As well as the physical implications of 2020 on our lifestyles, Dympna agrees that the mental impact has a knock-on effect.
"We're watching the news, passing signs everywhere we go telling us to wear masks and wash our hands, it has an impact on our mental wellbeing," she says.
"This in turn generates stress hormones like adrenalin, which cause inflammation, which causes pain. You probably know that stress can cause a tightness in your shoulders, but it can affect your lower back too.
"Working from home can make it hard to switch off at the end of the day - there isn't that physical separation between work life and home life."
At 360 Health, the emphasis is on helping people to help themselves. There are pilates classes for all abilities as well as physiotherapy.
"There are so many simple things you can do at home," says Suzanne. "Get a chair with lumbar support or even consider sitting on an exercise ball. The key is to have your knees and hips at 90 degree angles - and your knees shouldn't be below your hips.
"If you can't afford a standing desk try moving to a different location - even something simple like setting your laptop on the kitchen side and working there for a while.
"Think about self care and building in time for relaxation - whatever that means for you. I think walking is a brilliant and really accessible form of gentle exercise.
"If your joints are sore, trying walking on a softer surface like a trail or grass in the park. It's also important to do a couple of strength sessions a week - but that just means exercise like stretches, pilates or yoga using your own body weight, or equipment like resistance bands."
Pain specialist Dympna recommends making sure you're drinking enough water. Not only can dehydration cause headaches but it can have an impact on muscles too.
"Think of the difference between a lovely moist plum and a dried prune," she explains. "That's what can happen to your muscles -you don't want them to end up like dried-up prunes or they'll become too tight.
"Sipping water often at your desk will also force you to get up and go to the loo, which gives you chance to move your body and stretch. Simple stretches, like reaching for the stars or lifting your knees as you walk will just help to warm up your muscles."
Dympna also recommends checking out your work area to see what changes can be made.
"A cushion or rolled up towel can provide lumbar support if you don't have a proper office chair," she says. "You could also try raising your laptop screen or monitor by setting it on top of some books.
"If you're working standing up, make sure you have proper supportive footwear - trainers or padded slippers. It's no good standing on a tiled kitchen floor all day in your bare feet.
"And at the end of the day, pack your work away out of sight, turn off the news and take a break from social media. Allow yourself to de-stress, read a book or phone a friend. You might find a phone call more relaxing that a video call too."
Technology can be a help as well as a stressor though. There are lots of online resources, from professionals leading yoga and exercise classes via Zoom, to YouTube tutorials on exercises at your desk.
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy website (www.csp.org.uk) has resources like simple stretching routines you can do at home.
Finally, if your symptoms persist, make sure you seek professional help.
Suzanne has this advice: "Our bodies are strong and robust; the back is designed to move and not moving feeds into that cycle of pain and stiffness.
"However, if you have any red flag symptoms, like pain that doesn't ease, tingling or pain down your legs, or changes to you bladder and bowel control, it's important to speak to your GP or see a professional such as a physiotherapist."