Last updated: August 17th, 2023
Back pain can be debilitating. Besides limiting the range of your motion and mobility, it can adversely impact your career and personal relationships. It’s very hard to focus on anything else when your back hurts.
Today, you’ll learn how to sit with lower back pain and adapt your activities to avoid unnecessary aggravation.
We’ll cover the following:
- How to prevent lower back pain.
- Techniques to ease pain whilst working.
- How to manage chronic back pain.
- What back pain is not.
This article is for you if you’ve neglected your posture and mobility.
(Related: Best Office Chairs For Back Pain).
What Back Pain Is (Probably) Not.
I have suffered from back pain throughout my adult life. As a 2-metre tall guy who has competed in powerlifting, I have all the “right” risk factors.
- One of the best pieces of advice I received was from Austin Baraki, a doctor who runs the excellent Barbell Medicine blog.
- He pointed out that a lot of lower back sufferers a caught in an endless loop of misinformation, believing that something in their back is “broken”.
- This mechanical view of back pain is most often incorrect.
Rather than butchering Austin’s argument, I’ll link to his article here. I hope it helps you as much as it helped me.
Expert Tip.
Office chairs with forward seat tilt, like the Herman Miller Aeron and the Sidiz T50, can be a good option for back pain sufferers, as they rotate your hips forward to help you find an optimal sitting position.
Why Do You Have Lower Back Pain?
Many factors can worsen lower back pain, but the primary causes are connected to posture, exercise some surprising environmental factors.
The #1 Cause Of Lower Back Pain.
Recent studies show a rise in pandemic posture:
- You work for long periods at home and have unconsciously neglected your posture.
- You did not have the resources to set up an ergonomic workspace to support health and well-being.
- You may not have been able to afford adequate equipment and resources to maintain good posture.
Important!
We recommend ergonomic furniture that provides lumbar support all day long (where to position lumbar support?). Do not work from a soft, unstructured, or low chair where possible.
If your posture has been an ongoing issue for you, after this article, we recommend that you:
- Consult a physiotherapist, chiropractor, or personal trainer to correct your issues.
- Discover our comprehensive guide on proper sitting posture here.
Expert Tip.
There are online guides to correct your range of motion, which will significantly improve your daily life. We recommend Kinstretch with Beard – a monthly mobility membership.
Consider The Weather.
Did you know that the weather can affect your joint mobility? Cold weather and a change in barometric pressure can cause our joints to seize up. Joints like the knees, knuckles, and wrists tend to take the main impact.
There is something to be said about our lack of movement in the cooler months, too. You should aim for the following:
- 30 minutes of exercise three times per week.
- Gentle strolling each day – during your lunch break or after dinner.
- 5-10 minutes of gentle stretching, when waking and before bed.
Important!
Consistency is key. Focus less on perfection and more on showing up to support your entire body every day.
Be Wary Of Over-Working Out.
Working out too intensely for too many days or undertaking complex weightlifting with incorrect form is a recipe for disaster.
Not only that, but even outside of a gym, the below actions can cause injury:
- Moving house and carrying boxes.
- Moving large furniture.
- Bending and kneeling in awkward ways.
If you notice painful spasms after a particular exercise, you must treat this like an injury. Remember RICE to optimise blood flow and swelling:
- Rest: Do this initially to protect the injury from additional strain.
- Ice: You can ice your injuries for 20 minutes three times a day.
- Compression: This is for the first 48-72 hours to prevent further swelling. You may find manual compression may temporarily alleviate pain in more chronic conditions.
- Elevation: Using pillows, elevate your injury where possible to improve blood flow.
Expert Tip.
For less severe aches and pains, opt for CBD oil, magnesium oil, magnesium bath salts or Voltaren gel to reduce inflammation.
Address An Underlying Condition.
Be sure to consult your doctor if you have symptoms that last longer than one week and do not resolve with the above methods.
A doctor will be able to confirm if there are any underlying conditions, like diseases or viruses, that can cause severe lower back pain.
Ways To Sit With Lower Back Pain.
If you’re reading this, you’re likely dealing with lower back pain and are looking for pain relief.
The below should reduce pressure on your joints, alleviate pain, and ensure your seated work is more comfortable.
Know The Correct Angles.
Correct posture will relieve back pain and prevent it in the future. This goes beyond your spine and addresses your total body alignment.
Our tips for correct posture are:
- Alignment: Focus on keeping your back straight, core locked in, knees bent, legs parallel, and feet flat on the floor.
- A neutral neck: Ensure the monitor or computer screen is positioned at eye level.
- A reclined angle: Recline slightly in your office chair to help reduce spinal pressure and neck pain. You can do this for a short period every hour (set a reminder!).
- Relaxed shoulders: Know the difference between a relaxed position and slouching – focus on rolling the shoulders back and pulling the shoulder blades together.
- No wrist pad: Avoid using a wrist pad while typing to support your wrists better.
- Correct seat height: Most people are comfortable sitting 40 to 50 centimetres above the floor. The user’s feet can rest comfortably on the floor, while their thighs and arms can be at a right angle to the desk’s surface.
Expert Tip.
If you imagine a vertical string connecting your hips, spine, neck, and head, you’ll be perfectly aligned when this is pulled tight.
Use Your Wingspan.
Ensuring your desk space is set up to support you is crucial. We suggest:
- Convenience: Keep all items within arm’s length when your back is in pain. This will prevent you from over-stretching or worsening injuries.
- Comfort: You can opt for a chair with wheels to quickly manoeuvre closer to items you need.
Important!
Motion is lotion. The more you move, the better you support your joint and muscle health. A lack of action can worsen some injuries.
Support The Back.
Not all office chairs are created equally. You should opt for an ergonomic chair. Ergonomic principles can significantly improve your working life.
When buying your chair, look for the following:
- Lumbar support, or add a cushion to slightly arch the back.
- Adjustable backrest angle, armrests, seat height and tilt tension (as a minimum).
You can read more on our guide to the best home office furniture here and the best office chairs here.
Important!
To improve seated posture, start a timer and sit up straight. When you notice you’re slouching, restart the timer. The goal is to strengthen your back and intercostal muscles.
Take Advantage Of Chair Armrests.
Armrests aren’t just decorative pieces of a chair. They:
- Alleviate tension in your shoulders.
- Are a tool to assist you in and out of the chair.
- Prevent slouching.
Be sure to utilise your armrests, especially when moving from a seated to a standing position.
- Scoot to the end of your seat first.
- Ensure your feet are flat on the floor.
- Use the armrests to push yourself up.
(Related: Are Ergonomic Office Chairs Worth It?).
Adapt Your Activities.
Daily activities can be challenging when experiencing lower back pain. We suggest:
- Daily stretches: Try ‘downward dog’, ‘seated pigeon’, and overheard stretches. Yoga by Adrienne is a great resource – check out the video below this list.
- Contouring cushion: This is the easiest way to ensure you are safe and comfortable whilst driving or seated elsewhere. Discover them here.
- Cold and Heat Therapy: Consider ice baths and infrared saunas for pain management and injury recovery. Utilised by athletes worldwide, these methods are highly effective.
Diet And Exercise.
You must adopt a healthy balanced diet to prevent inflammation and support muscle recovery, especially during stress. Reducing refined sugar, salt, and alcohol can significantly decrease your inflammation.
You should ensure your diet is abundant in the following:
- High-quality omega-3 sources like wild-caught salmon.
- Seeds – poppy, sesame, chia.
- Beans and lentils.
- Dark leafy greens – broccoli, spinach, and kale.
- Edamame and tofu.
- Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, and berries.
- Calcium-fortified plant milk or dairy products.
You should focus on high-quality sources of vitamin D and calcium for bone health, plus high-quality fish oil and magnesium to support muscles. We recommend these Australian-made ones.
Expert Tip.
The average adult requires 1,000 mg of calcium daily. You should only take vitamins to supplement an inadequate diet. Whole food sources are always best.
Bottom Line On Sitting With The Right Posture To Avoid Back Pain.
Protecting your back from future backaches by adopting the correct sitting position is essential. Removing the factors causing pain is also necessary.
With the right office chair, an awareness of your body, physical discipline and pain management, you can begin to sit effortlessly.
When in doubt, engage a specialist for advice that suits your body composition and working situation.
Utilising the tips above and consistently checking in with yourself will ensure you are mobile and pain-free for years to come.
Steven
Cody says:
Hi,
Do you know 9am HOME standing desks?
I want to know how about their desk.
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Cody, I’ve never seen them before but I took a quick look for you and I’m 90% certain it’s another Jiecang desk. You can tell by the design of the feet and the lowest height (60cm). Desky, Omnidesk, Stand Desk are all pretty much the same.
Cody says:
Which one do you mean? Pesk or Robin series? I am interested in their Robin series, it looks unique and beautiful. I can’t find anyone like it in Desky.
Steven McConnell says:
I was talking about the Pesk Series. Robin series does look attractive and unusual, but I’m usually not a fan of tubular legs as they tend to be more prone to wobble. I can’t say whether this is the case in this instance, as I haven’t physically tested the desk myself. The 10 year warranty is reassuring, however. I wish they offered a risk-free trial to let you test out the legs!
Cody says:
Thank you very much, Steven; I will take your comments into consideration.
Erin says:
Do you know much about Kangadesks? There are Australian as well.
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Erin, its another Jiecang standing desk. Same as Desky, Omni, Stand Desk etc. The design of the feet and 60-125cm height range gives it away. The desk appears to currently be currently on sale for $299, which is an absolute steal and I’m wondering why they’re selling their stock at 1/3 of RRP. Regardless, even if they’re about to go bust, I’d still buy one at that price.
EDIT: Be careful. Fakespot showed these warnings while browsing their website: “Multiple eCommerce scam experiences detected, Poor customer service”
Suzy says:
Hi – given all the desks are so similar, is it possible to mix a desk from one brand with a drawer accessory from another? I don’t like the UpDown desk metal drawer (hangs very low so likely to impede leg space) but don’t mind the Desky one – can these be mixed and matched?
Thank you for the reviews! Super helpful.
Steven McConnell says:
Yes, it’s possible to play switcheroo. But you may want to consider that UpDown design is curved, so it will hurt less if you do jam your thighs into it. Desky’s meanwhile, is quite angular. Pro tip: you can also find a bunch of inexpensive slimline desk drawers on Amazon.
jason says:
I’ve spent far, far too much time agonising over which desk to get haha, definitely more than a week. Very happy that you’ve added the omni-desk to your catalogue. That was the one I was considering the most untill you came you with a review saying that it was more wobbly!
Anyways, do you have an opinion on the new updown desk KLIK Series? Its advertises to be significanlty ligher while having better (on paper) specs
Thanks!
Evelyn says:
Hi Steven, great blog post – thank you! I’m also wondering whether you have any opinion or insights on the new UpDown Desk KLIK series…they come at $100 more expensive (for the same size/table top) but seem to be ‘better’ according to the UpDown website.
Cheers!
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Evelyn, thanks! I will have a full review of the KLIK up around February 2025. It’s not necessarily a better standing desk – but it is lighter, less bulky and promises easier assembly.
Ben Clements says:
Hi. I’m interested to know more about whether I actually could fit the Desky cable management system in the Omnidesk? I’ve had a look at the omnidesks in person at the showroom and it looks like their cable management trays screw on (vs the clip in at the edges of the desk with the Desky tray). The desky system also has the power plugs that snap into place in the tray.
So I’m curious to know if you have you tried it, and if so how did you do it please? Or is your thinking that you’d just buy the power boards and plugs from Desky and rest them in the Omnidesk tray?
I’m stuck, because I prefer the Omnidesks but I really love the idea of a single power lead!
Thanks
Steven McConnell says:
I just had a new Omnidesk delivered to my house. Give me about two weeks to assemble it, test it out and report back.
Sunni says:
Thanks for your very helpful (and funny) review. I used the information to to buy a Desky standing desk in record time – no consumer agonising for weeks, as is my usual practice. It has a pneumatic up/down mechanism, so lets see how that goes.
Steven McConnell says:
Ha! You’re welcome, Sunni. Glad I helped you cut down on the agonising. The pneumatic mechanism is an interest choice – let me know what you think of it?
Amber says:
Hi Steven,
Really great and insightful review. It was refreshing to see something that wasn’t filled with ChatGPT affiliate link garbage!
I’m curious about your opinion on L-shaped standing desks? I know that Desky, UpDown and a few other retailers offer these types of desks and I would assume they are more strong and stable, but I’m not an expert and I can also imagine the opposite being true due to the irregular shape. I’ve been looking at these types of desks because I think their shape suits my space the best. Do you have any knowledge on this or do you only have experience with regular rectangular shaped desks?
Steven McConnell says:
Thanks, Amber. Did you know that I have a L-shaped standing desk review? Search for “arielle best corner standing desks” and you’ll find it.
Melissa says:
Hi Steven great article thank you!
I’ve spent way to much time on this, and I’m now leaning towards the Artiss thanks to your review.
I’m wondering if you have any insight into ergonomic chairs for the home office also?
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Melissa, thanks! The Artiss is a great budget pick. I’ve written numerous ergonomic chair reviews – Google “arielle best ergonomic office chairs” to find them 🙂
tania says:
hey are there any other manual desks apart from the ikea ones you don’t recommend, that you would recommend? I prefer the idea of not needing electricity to move between stand up and sit down but maybe that doesn’t really exist?
Steven McConnell says:
Hey Tania, all of the premium brands (UpDown, Desky, etc) offer a manual crank model. Definitely the way to go if you want to avoid electronics. But TBH I suggest you reconsider. Electronics are very reliable these days – and hand-cranking your standing desk is more annoying than you’d expect.
Adam says:
Hi, do you know much about the UpDown Klik vs Pro system?
Steven McConnell says:
The company has shipped their new Klik standing desk to me yesterday. Stay tuned!
Scott Long says:
You mention in your review of the Up Down Pro that you would get the cable holes and grommets done, but it looks like your (very pretty) Messmate desk doesn’t have them. Is your recommendation a hindsight reflection, or did you choose not to spoil the look of the desk with the grommets? Without the grommets can you can still run the cables behind the desk and into the cable management tray? Cheers!
Steven McConnell says:
Scott, I said in the review that grommets and holes are a great idea, not that I have them. They’re less important if your standing desk faces a wall. But if you have an open-plan style home office like mine, they’ll make your workspace look much cleaner. PS You can still run cables into the tray without the holes and grommets – the cables will simply run behind the desk.
Isaac Jenkinson says:
Hello,
Have you had a chance to try the new UpDown Lyft model? Curious about its stability vs the pro.
Steven McConnell says:
Isaac,
Not yet. On first glance, it looks like a budget alternative to the “big brothers”. It’s probably pretty good (UpDown has a reputation to maintain), but I’m of the opinion that buying cheap means you pay more in the long term. I’d save up another few hundred bucks and get the Pro. You can often get a melamine or bamboo-topped model on sale for around $900.
David says:
This is a great site and will help me decide on which desk to buy. Have you heard any good/bad reviews about the Blacklyte Atlas Lite or Ergo-Rise II from BDO furniture?
Steven McConnell says:
David, thanks for the kind words. Never heard of the Atlas Lite until you mentioned it. Looks like a decent gaming desk that borrows heavily from Secretlab Magnus – but why not just buy a real Magnus instead?
As for the Ergo-Rise – looks like a decent desk, but its height controller is outdated. The best standing desk brands have upgraded to OLED controllers.
Ben says:
Thank you for writing this review Steven; really helpful to break through the BS.
By any chance have you used or hold an opinion on Vertilift desks?
Steven McConnell says:
You’re welcome. God, I haven’t even heard of them – but thanks for the heads-up. There are too many standing desks on the Australian market. Obviously I haven’t used these in person, but I’m almost certain they’re yet another Jiecang variant (i.e., frames are identical to Desky). You can tell by the identical max and min heights, as well as the design of the foot.
Eloise says:
Hey Steven, I was recommended the Alwyn or Octavia (Living Fusion) 140cm sit and stand desks from Temple and Webster which don’t even get a mention in your review. Would you bother with any of their brands ? (I may have dodged a bullet by finding your review!)
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Louise, I haven’t had first-hand experience with the T&W standing desk (must add one to my list!).
However, I had a look through the specs for you.
It doesn’t look too bad, actually – considering the price. If you can’t stretch your budget to ~$950 for an entry-level UpDown or Desky, this could be a good option.
Jordan says:
Hi Steven, Thanks for the review! I am starting out with a home office set up and need a new chair and sit stand desk. I’m a student but I prefer to buy things I know will last, but I don’t have too much experience with sit stand desks. I initially thought to buy the Artiss but have considered buying the Acacia UpDown Pro+ so I know it lasts and I don’t have to buy another desk in a couple of years. Is it worth the price jump for me? Thanks!
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Jordan, the Artiss and the UpDown desks sell at two very different price points. If you have the budget, I suggest you stretch to the UpDown standing desk – you won’t regret it.
jason says:
I know you’ve disqualified the flexispot e7 pro so the e7 max plus would probably also be disqualified, but a quad motor 4 column desk frame at a prices competitive with UpDown desk is incredibly tempting. Plus 15 year warrenty (if the company lasts that long)
Have you had a chance to take a look? Its like half the price of the desky quad!
Steven McConnell says:
Hey Jason, great observation. I haven’t included quad standing desks here because they’ve traditionally attracted a niche consumer – someone who needs to place a tonne of gear on the desktop and doesn’t mind paying 2X the usual price. But Flexispot’s sharp pricing on their quad desk certainly changes things. I haven’t seen one in the wild yet – but the specs look promising.
Steven