Your back is aching, and it’s no wonder! You spend three-quarters of your day either sitting at the office or on a couch watching TV. But you don’t have to just grimace and bear chronic lower back pain. Proper posture, a good office chair and some simple lifestyle changes can bring relief... How much time do you spend sitting? If you’re like most desk jockeys, it’s as much as 40 hours a week at work. So if your office chair just isn’t right, your back health will suffer, leaving you with an achy spine, sore shoulders or stiff neck. “When a chair doesn’t support your spine, your muscles have to work harder, and you’ll feel fatigued at the end of the day,” explains Paul Cooke, M.D., a physiatrist (rehabilitation specialist) at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. After a while, the vertebrae in your lower back, known as your lumbar, won’t be able to maintain spinal alignment. That puts more stress on discs and joints, leading to more pain, he says.
Later, when you settle into your couch to watch TV, you may be worsening back pain. That’s because soft cushions offer even less lumbar back support than office chairs do. But your back health doesn’t have to suffer from long hours behind a desk and on spongy sofas. We asked back doctors and physical therapists for tips to finding the best office chair, relieving pain and even preventing varicose veins. Sit RightLumbar back support: The most important function of an office chair is to maintain proper curvature of your lumbar spine, Dr. Cooke says. Go Chair ShoppingIn the market for a new office chair? Luxury office chairs offer good support, says Dr. Cooke. Some also offer woven mesh seats for better air circulation, which helps keep the skin cool, he says. But you don’t have to buy a top-of-the-line chair to get good lumbar back support. Recline: When working at your computer, you probably sit upright. But if you’re reading, talking on the phone or conducting a meeting, you can lean back.
“A slightly reclined position relieves pressure on the spine,” Dr. Cooke says. Adjustable seatback: For upper-back support, the chair should be high and wide enough for your shoulder blades to rest on, Dr. Cooke says. Protecting Your Back at HomeAvoid the sofa. It’s not the best choice for sitting for long periods of time, says Dr. Cooke. “Most sofas don’t offer much lumbar back support, and there’s a tendency to slouch.” Instead, use a recliner or an easy chair with back support.Resist the urge to slump down in your chair during a “Real Housewives” TV marathon. “Have your feet on the ground,” Dr. Cooke says. “And sit far enough back in the chair so your seat makes contact with your thigh muscles.Yep, that La-Z-Boy is actually good for you. There’s less strain on your lumbar discs when you’re in a reclined position, and having your legs slightly elevated can improve blood flow, Dr. Cooke says. Expensive recliners, advertised as “stressless” or “back-friendly,” are fine, he says, but not necessary.
“Any comfortable recliner is good,” he says – just make sure it supplies some lumbar back support. Use pillows as props. Since most easy chairs don’t have lumbar support for your lower back, “use a pillow or lumbar roll to maintain curvature,” Dr. Cooke says. The Good and Bad News About Spinal Stenosis 8 Tips for Back Pain Relief Should You Get a Steroid Shot for Back Pain? Switch Your Sleep Positions to Ease Back Pain Sign Up for Our Living with Chronic Pain NewsletterThanks for signing up!Sign up for more FREE Everyday Health newsletters.SubmitWe respect your privacy.While back pain can interfere with any number of daily activities, one of the worst things, it turns out, is sitting in a chair all day long in an office. In fact, experts say, certain daily actions that you do every day at work may actually be causing or worsening your back pain. It turns out that even something as simple as rearranging your desk or answering your phone might be the trigger that can set off a new bout of back pain."
Repeated low-level stress and strain can be something as common as poor sitting posture or constant forward reaching at work," says Thomas J. Herrmann, EdD, PT, a physical therapist and assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati's College of Allied Health Sciences.Finding Back Pain Relief at the OfficeAs many people can attest, back pain can become so severe that it impacts your ability to hold down an office job. Karen Cotter of Burr Ridge, Ill., who has suffered from back pain for more than 10 years, knows that she was lucky to own her own business."I was severely limited in the amount of work I could do," says Cotter, who has degenerative disk disease and scoliosis." After two to three hours of trying to do my job, I often had to leave — I physically had to leave work. If I worked for someone, I highly doubt I would still have a job."Cotter has found back pain relief through sessions with Jo Fasen, a physical therapist with the Physical and Occupational Therapy Department of the Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation in Chicago.
Fasen endorses the McKenzie method, an approach to pain management that uses physical therapy and exercises focusing on spine extension. Today, Cotter does the McKenzie exercises a few times a day to keep her back pain under control, especially while she is working.Tips for Back Pain Relief on the JobIf back pain has you calling in sick at work, try these tips to help reduce your symptoms:Buy a comfortable, supportive chair. Your office chair should have good lumbar support and be adjustable so that you can move it to the appropriate height. "A chair that locks in a sit-forward, rigid-back position, such as the Aeron chair, is very helpful for those who use a keyboard throughout the day," says William O. Shaffer, MD, a professor, vice chairman, medical director and residency program director at the University of Kentucky. A supportive lumbar pillow in your chair can also help your back feel better, according to Cotter, who says she uses a lumbar-support pillow "religiously" to prevent back pain while she is working.
Position your computer equipment to reduce strain. Your computer monitor should be set up in a straight line in front of you at your work station. The top of the monitor should be right at your line of vision. And your keyboard should be level with your hands, slightly below desk level (an under-the-desk keyboard tray is very useful for this). The point is that to avoid back pain, you should not have to hunch up your shoulders or lift your arms to type.Use a phone headset so that you don't have to twist and turn your neck and head to talk and hold the phone. Or, if possible, use a speaker on your phone if you can do so without disturbing the people around you.Get up from your desk and take frequent breaks, and never stay in one position too long. Try to work in at least a mile or two of walking each day, recommends Dr. Shaffer. Get up and walk around your office several times throughout the day, stretch, or if you’re pressed for time, just stand up. Start the day with some exercise. Park your car at the far end of the parking lot and walk as much as you can before you even get to your office, suggests Shaffer.“
I make it a point to get up whenever I think of it — I stand up. In fact, I try to work standing up as much as possible. I do one part of the McKenzie stretches… because you do them standing up," says Cotter. "When I catch that pain or start to feel a little uncomfortable, I do it. They're simple back bends, and that works for me."Neglecting your back pain at work can make your life difficult at home once your workday ends. Before she found successful treatment and ways to cope for her job, Cotter was barely able to function after she left the office. "By the time I got home,” she says, “I couldn't cook, I couldn't do laundry, I couldn’t do anything. Lying down was the only thing I could do. "Your Rights at Work for Back Pain TreatmentYour back injury may take several weeks or longer to completely heal. If you need time off, you should learn your rights. According to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), qualified employees are allowed up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave while recovering from an injury.