Approximately 60% of Women Doing Desk and Remote Work Report Feeling Physical Ailments

## Physical Ailments Accumulating in Women Due to Desk Work and Remote Work

"My shoulders are stiff by the evening," "I feel like my posture has been worsening lately."

There are likely many women who experience these kinds of physical ailments.

With the spread of remote work, the number of women spending long hours sitting in front of a computer at home is increasing.

On the other hand, the longer the time spent sitting, the easier it is for ailments such as stiff shoulders, swelling, and eye strain to accumulate.

In recent years, awareness of "taking time to condition the body" and "preventing issues through self-care" has increased, and interest in bodywork such as stretching and Pilates is also expanding.

Therefore, in collaboration with the women-only machine Pilates studio 'the SILK', we conducted a survey on "Physical Ailments Caused by Desk Work and Remote Work in Women" targeting 61 women nationwide who answered "sometimes do desk work or remote work" in a preliminary survey.

Survey Outline: "Questionnaire on Physical Ailments in Women Due to Desk Work and Remote Work"

Survey Method: Internet survey

Survey Period: May 1, 2026 - May 8, 2026

Target Audience: Women nationwide who answered "sometimes do desk work or remote work" in a preliminary survey

Valid Responses: 61 samples

Survey Questions:

Question 1: Do you ever feel physical ailments from desk work or remote work?

Question 2: What kind of ailments do you feel? (Multiple answers allowed)

Question 3: Please tell us about your particularly severe ailments.

Question 4: Are you taking any countermeasures against those ailments?

Question 5: What kind of countermeasures are you taking? (Multiple answers allowed)

Question 6: If there were a "place to reset your body" after work or on holidays, would you want to go?

Question 7: Please tell us the reason.

*As a rule, figures are rounded to the nearest tenth, so the total may not exactly equal 100%.

## 59.0% Answered They "Feel Physical Ailments" Due to Desk Work and Remote Work

First, we asked whether they ever feel physical ailments due to desk work or remote work.

As a result, it was found that a total of 59.0% of women feel ailments from desk work and remote work, with 18.0% saying "often" and 41.0% saying "sometimes." On the other hand, "rarely" accounted for 24.6%, and "never" was at 16.4%.

From the result that approximately 60% of women experience daily physical ailments, the heavy burden that prolonged desk work places on the mind and body is evident.

## 75.0% Answered They Experience "Stiff Shoulders" as an Ailment

So, what specific ailments are they feeling?

Next, we asked those who answered they feel ailments from desk work and remote work what kind of ailments they have.

The most common was "stiff shoulders" at 75.0%.

This was followed by "eye strain" at 52.8%, "poor posture" at 47.2%, and both "stiff neck" and "lack of exercise" at 44.4%. Furthermore, "lower back pain" was 36.1%, "swelling" and "chilliness" were 25.0% each, and "headaches" were 13.9%.

It can be seen that multiple ailments are occurring in a chain reaction, not just stiffness in the shoulders and neck, but also deteriorating posture, lack of exercise, swelling, and chilliness.

We also asked about "particularly severe ailments," and here are some of the responses.

Please tell us your particularly severe ailments.

- Stiff neck and shoulders. (Female in her 20s)

- Sometimes stiff shoulders lead to eye strain and cause floaters. (Female in her 30s)

- Lower body weight gain (especially the lower abdomen) due to lack of exercise, and sole pain (due to sudden weight gain and not walking much, the soles of my feet tend to hurt when I walk occasionally). (Female in her 30s)

- My shoulder blades get stiff, and they make a cracking sound when I rotate them. (Female in her 40s)

- Since I have lower back pain, I cannot sit continuously. (Female in her 40s)

- Swelling. When seated work continues, the area below my knees becomes severely swollen and tight. (Female in her 50s)

These are not limited to representative ailments such as stiff shoulders, eye strain, lower back pain, and swelling.