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BP4MS
01-18-2010, 01:02 PM
If you work in an office you probably spend a lot of time sitting. You sit in the car or public transport on the way to work, you sit at your desk for most of the day, then you sit in the car on the way home and sit down to rest once you're back home.

But it's only in the last 100 years or so of human existence that we've all been asking our bodies to spend so much time sitting down. Before this "Office Age" and certainly before the "Industrial Revolution" we would all have spent a lot more time standing up. So our bodies just aren't used to and aren't designed to sit for long periods.

I've stopped sitting at a desk for long periods and this has certainly reduced my back pain by a lot. Instead I simply stand or sometimes lay down (sometimes with my laptop on a cushion on my lap).

BP4MS
01-18-2010, 01:10 PM
If standing or laying down are impractical (and certainly laying down isn't exactly acceptable practice in most offices) then the other things to do are:

- take regular breaks from sitting
- do stretches or walk around during these breaks
- move around in your chair and change position
- take some more breaks

also make sure you have the correct posture when sitting at your desk, and certainly don't slouch. Make sure your desk is set up ergonomically (http://www.backpainforums.org/threads/24-Desk-and-Computer-Set-Up), so everything is at the right height.