Back pain from desk work

Most back pain in people who work at a desk is not caused by an injury. It is caused by stillness: the same posture, held for hours, day after day. The good news follows directly from that. Backs that ache from sitting respond quickly to movement, and the movement does not need to be a gym session. A few minutes, a few times a day, is enough to change how your back feels by the end of the week.

Why sitting hurts

A spine is built to move. Sitting still loads the discs in the lower back more than standing does, lets the hip muscles shorten, and lets the muscles that hold you upright switch off. After an hour, the back is being held by ligaments rather than muscles, and ligaments complain. Add a screen that is too low, so the head drifts forward, and the neck and the upper back join in.

None of this is damage. It is a tissue asking for a change of position. That is why the first rule is simple: do not hold any posture, however good, for more than thirty or forty minutes.

A five-minute routine

Do these slowly, within a comfortable range, and breathe normally. Nothing should hurt sharply; a gentle stretch feeling is the aim. Repeat the set two or three times a day.

1. Stand and reach. Stand up, reach both arms overhead, and take three slow breaths. Lower the arms. Three times.
2. Pelvic tilts, standing or seated. Tilt the pelvis forward to arch the lower back, then back to flatten it. Ten slow repetitions.
3. Hip flexor stretch. Step one foot forward into a half-lunge, keeping the back upright, until you feel a stretch at the front of the back hip. Hold twenty seconds each side.
4. Chest opener. Clasp the hands behind you, draw the shoulder blades together and lift the chest. Hold fifteen seconds. Twice.
5. Neck turns and chin tucks. Turn the head slowly to each side, then draw the chin straight back as if making a double chin. Five of each.
6. Walk. To the water cooler, up a flight of stairs, around the floor. Two minutes.

Setting up the desk

A good setup does not fix a back on its own, but a bad one works against everything else:

• Screen at eye height, an arm’s length away. A laptop on a stand with a separate keyboard is the simplest fix.
• Chair height so that the feet rest flat and the knees sit level with or slightly below the hips. A footrest helps if the desk is high.
• Lower back supported. Most chairs have some lumbar support; a small cushion does the job on those that do not.
• Keyboard and mouse close, so the elbows stay near the body and the shoulders stay down.
• A reason to stand. Phone calls, reading, and short meetings can all be done standing. A sit-stand desk is useful but not essential; a change of position is the point, not the furniture.

Beyond the desk

Backs cope with sitting better when the rest of the week includes strength and movement. Two or three sessions of anything that loads the legs and trunk (brisk walking, swimming, resistance training, a sport you enjoy) make the daily routine above much more effective. Sleep matters too: pain is louder after a short night.

If you are new to exercise or have been in pain for a while, start smaller than feels necessary and build up over weeks. Backs dislike sudden changes in either direction.

When to see a physiotherapist or a doctor

Most desk-related back pain settles within a few weeks of moving more. Book a visit if:

• The pain has lasted more than four to six weeks despite changes.
• It wakes you at night or is worse lying down.
• It spreads down a leg, or comes with numbness, tingling or weakness in a leg or foot.
• It started after a fall or an accident.
• You have fever, unexplained weight loss, or a history of cancer.
• You notice any change in bladder or bowel control, which needs same-day assessment.

A physiotherapy assessment looks at how you move, not only where it hurts, and ends with a plan built around your work and your week.

This article is general information, not medical advice. For your own situation, talk to a doctor.