Sitting is not inherently bad for your back. Sitting still for hours is the problem. These six changes make the biggest difference for the desk workers we see.

1. Move every 30 minutes

Stand, walk to the kitchen, or simply change position. Frequency matters far more than the perfect chair.

2. Get your screen to eye level

A screen that is too low pulls your head forward, and the load travels down through your neck into your mid and lower back.

3. Support your feet

If your feet dangle, your pelvis rolls back and your lower back rounds. A footrest or a lower seat fixes it.

4. Stop clenching your jaw and shoulders

Tension travels. A quick shoulder roll every hour interrupts the pattern before it builds.

5. Strengthen your hips

Weak glutes leave your lower back doing work it was not designed for. Two sessions a week is enough to change this.

6. Get it assessed if it persists

Back pain that lasts more than a few weeks, or that refers into the leg, deserves a proper assessment rather than another new chair.

TF

Tom Fielding

Clinical Specialist in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound & Ultrasound-Guided Injections at Physivity, Stanmore.