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How to Sit Properly to Avoid Lower Back Pain

Sitting for prolonged hours used to put a lot of pressure on my back muscles and spinal discs. This pressure resulted in stubborn lower back pain. This pain was often debilitating. It was painful both when I was in a sitting position and when I was away from my desk. My improper sitting posture was the main variable worsening the pain.

When in a sitting position for prolonged periods, the first instinct people tend to have is slouching forward. We reach for that keyboard and mouse. Everything goes downhill from there. Slouching can strain the spinal discs and overstretch the ligaments.

Years ago, my physical therapist was hitting me in the head for a $50 copay thrice a week. It wasn’t helping. I had to figure out ways to improve my sitting position during the time I was outside of the physical therapist’s office.

Simply “sitting up straight” wasn’t enough to relieve this pain. I had to take an intentional, yet simplified approach. There are many ways to avoid lower back pain and other back related injuries. This article talks about the 4 most helpful habits I implemented on how to sit properly to avoid lower back pain.

Right Standing Posture

Good posture helped improved my energy level and work productivity. It’s also helped decrease my computer-related pain.

Good posture has helped me distribute my body weight evenly, plus reduce unnecessary strain on joints and muscles. It’s also helped me improve my balance, breathing, and overall comfort throughout my workday.

But on the flip side, poor standing posture can contribute to back pain, neck tension, fatigue, tight hips, and muscle imbalances over time.

So, I’m dedicating this post to talk about the right standing posture and how you can develop it over time.

Yoga Poses for Back Pain

My thoughts on yoga have been very positive. Yoga is a great exercise that both stretches and strengthens my muscles. I like to practice gentle yoga where I find a position in between comfortable and challenging. I don’t overdo it. Also, I enjoy hot yoga versus a yoga practice that’s done in a room at regular temperature. I like to get there 10 minutes early before the class starts. This way I can rest on my mat lying flat on my back before class. During this time, I focus on my breathing. Breathing in the warmer air is calming and relaxing to me. It also helps my blood circulate better, which makes my muscles work better during the yoga practice.

Keep in mind, nothing I write about is medical advice. I simply talk about my experience. I share the computer posture mistakes I made. And then I share how I fixed them. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best possible advocate for your own healthcare.

Physical therapy is great when you find a good therapist. But that’s often more of a hands-on approach by the therapist. You can only learn so much there. We also need to practice those good habits as much as possible in our daily lives, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. Yoga practice is a great way to learn the work ourselves.

Cervical Spine Exercises

The degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine used to cause a lot of neck pain. Years ago, I’d look down at a computer screen 40 hours per week. My front neck muscles would compress and get shorter. My rear neck muscles would overextend and get longer. Holding my neck in this long term position caused a lot of dysfunction and muscle confusion.

The cervical spine is located in the neck and upper back. It’s the uppermost portion of the spine. It’s made up of the top 7 vertebrae. Having a healthy, strong cervical spine is incredibly important to maintain good postural habits at a computer. It plays a huge part in supporting the head.

Fixing My Neck: Cervical Spine Exercises

To fix my neck pain, the first step I took was to better understand the natural curves of the spine. Next, I would do neck stretches to improve my range of motion. Finally, strengthening the muscles around the cervical spine has helped improve my posture. The most effective method of neck strengthening for office workers is to use an Iron Neck. To learn more, I wrote an Iron Neck Review that can be found here.

Prolonged sitting in front of a computer can increase the risk of injury and neck pain. This can happen regardless of how good or bad our posture is. However, having strong and flexible neck muscles in a good postural position will help resist injuries. Once my posture suffers, neck pain is much more likely to happen quicker. Exercise and frequent movement can help prevent this from happening. So today, I’m dedicating a post on cervical spine exercises that can help improve the strength and flexibility of the neck muscles to help prevent injuries and neck pain in the long run.

How to Fix Back Posture

Poor posture has become increasingly common due to desk jobs, phones, long hours sitting, and lack of movement throughout the day.

A lot of people do not realize their back posture is affecting their energy, mobility, confidence, and even chronic pain levels, until their symptoms worsen.

In this article, I’m sharing a guide on how I fixed my back posture from sitting at a computer for long periods of time.

How to Keep Good Posture

Getting into a correct posture position doesn’t have to be complex. The hard part is to maintain good posture for long periods of time. Especially, when we’re sitting standing at a computer.

Good posture is more than standing up straight. It affects the way my muscles, spine, and joints function throughout the day.

Poor posture often develops gradually from sitting habits, screen use, and weak postural muscles. It causes repetitive strain and overuse injuries. This poor posture can lead to a massive amount of discomfort over time. And learning how to avoid this is a good idea.

In this article, I’m sharing a guide on how to maintain good posture using simple habits and lifestyle adjustments.

How to Relieve Shoulder Pain from Sitting at Desk

The anatomy of the shoulders is very complex. There are several joints that connect the tendons and muscles that allow you to move your arms. There are a lot of factors that contribute to shoulder pain at work, including sitting at your desk for a long time, using a computer mouse, typing on a keyboard, and awkward postures while working.

This complexity is a big reason why people suffer from shoulder pain. It’s complicated and people don’t know where to start.

Today, I’m going to share my most basic, actionable, good posture habits to avoid shoulder pain at work.

How to Tell if You Have Bad Posture

Bad posture has caused some of the most stubborn injuries I’ve ever had. Especially because I used to sit at a computer for long periods of time. Fixing repetitive strain and overuse injuries will not be easy, but good posture is attainable with consistency, focus, and hard work.

Bad posture often develops gradually, making it difficult to notice (until discomfort or visible changes appear).

Spending hours sitting, looking at screens, or repeating movements slowly affect alignment. Then we hold those vulnerable positions for long periods, which makes things even worse.

Learning how to recognize the early signs of bad posture can help prevent long-term strain, pain, and mobility issues.

In this post, I’m sharing a round up of bad posture signs to watch out for.

What are Ergonomics?

The definition on ergonomics is “the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment” (definition credit: Google/Oxford Languages).

Ergonomics are much more than just posture. Posture is the position of a person’s body. In our case, the position we are in while sitting or standing at a computer workstation.

Posture is an important variable. But when we add the variable of working for an extended period of time, it’s important that our ergonomics aims at a well-rounded practice of multiple variables.

What are Ergonomics?

Sitting and standing at a computer for long periods of time delivers a high risk of injury. It’s up to us to ensure we are working in a safe working environment. I understand that sometimes we are at the mercy of external factors. A lot of work just has to be done on a computer. Often, there is a lot of that work. This requires us to work in the same vulnerable position for long periods of time, which brings an increased risk of injury. However, there are plenty of human factors we can practice in order to maintain safe work at a computer. Today, I’ll talk about 4 subtopics of computer ergonomics that are very important for safety and health. They are sleep, breathing, hydration, and posture.

What Causes Bad Posture

I got my first office job back in 2002. I’d been carrying heavy weights in the gym throughout college. But I had no idea that sitting in front of a computer would cause the most stubborn injuries I’ve ever had.

I sat with poor posture for 9 years. I didn’t even know what posture or ergonomics meant.

I’d quickly learn how excessive muscle tension would pull my musculoskeletal system out of alignment. This would cause back, shoulder, and neck pain (just to name a few).

What Causes Bad Posture — Learning what causes bad posture was the first step I took to correcting my computer-related pain.

Bad posture is something most people notice only when it starts causing discomfort, stiffness, or pain. And in 2011, I noticed. I was broke down, both physically and mentally.

While it may seem like a simple habit, poor posture is usually the result of multiple underlying factors. Learning what actually causes bad posture is the first step toward correcting it and preventing long-term strain.

In this post, I’m sharing a round up of habits that contributed to my bad posture. As well as practical ways I improved my posture in daily life.

What is a repetitive strain injury?

re·pet·i·tive strain in·ju·ry – a condition in which the prolonged performance of repetitive actions, causes pain or impairment of function in the tendons and muscles involved (definition credit: Google)

Many people talk about how sitting for long periods of time causes many different injuries (heart problems, joint pain, weight gain, skeletal alignment issues, headaches, etc etc). However, notice how the above definition for repetitive strain injury only contains 2 body parts: tendons and muscles. When it comes down to it, the health of our muscles and tendons is where we need to put our ergonomic focus.

When I say improve the “health” of our muscles and tendons, this doesn’t mean go and overtrain in the gym.

Why is My Posture So Bad?

Bad posture used to demoralize me. Not only physically, but also mentally. I sat with poor posture at a computer for 9 years. Not just a few hours a week. It was a full-time job in a toxic, high-stress office environment.

Poor posture is something many people deal with daily. Whether it is slouching at a desk, looking down at a phone, or feeling constant tension in the neck and shoulders.

These habits caused my lower back and neck pain. For more on those specific areas, check out the article I wrote about how to prevent back and neck pain.

Posture problems like these often develop gradually, which makes it difficult to recognize what is actually causing it.

Because most of my computer-related pain was never caused in the same muscle that was hurting. Muscles get tight, which pulls on the tendon(s) that connect that muscle to bone. Which is where I usually felt the pain first (in the tendon). My tight muscles were the cause. And the painful, inflamed tendon was the effect.

Identifying the root causes were key to making lasting improvements (instead of temporary fixes).

And so today, I’m sharing a round up of reasons that caused my bad posture and how I fixed them effectively.

Health Benefits of Proper Hydration

The human body is usually between 60-75% water. Achieving proper hydration, then staying hydrated, is directly related to how good our computer posture is. It’s very important to keep our bodies hydrated. One of the biggest motivations for me to maintain proper hydration is simply preventing headaches.

Staying hydrated also prevents many other issues, such as causing organs to function poorly, as well as tissues surrounding the spine. If the spine isn’t well supported by muscles, tendons, and ligaments, our computer posture suffers quickly. Drinking plenty of water also prevents the formation of kidney stones. These are just a few of the benefits to staying hydrated.

woman drinking water | Health Benefits of Proper Hydration

Drinking the correct amount of water per day can keep the body healthy and well hydrated. The amount of water I drink (or don’t drink) is directly connected to the extent of my repetitive strain injuries caused by sitting at a desk.

When I’m dehydrated, my muscles tense up and tighten much quicker, causing my posture to suffer. When I stay hydrated throughout the day, my posture is always easier to maintain. Improved posture is just one of the benefits of drinking water for me.

How Long Does it Take to Fix Bad Posture?

Bad posture takes work to fix. It also takes awareness, time, and patience.

Many people struggle with bad posture. It’s not an easy thing to figure out. Especially with long hours spent sitting, working on screens, or using mobile devices.

How Long Does it Take to Fix Bad Posture? — This article details my personal experience of how long it took to fix my bad computer posture.

The effects of bad posture often become noticeable through back pain, tight muscles, and reduced mobility.

Fixing my posture took a lot of time. So, I’m going to talk about how long it took for my correction timeline (and how I got there).

Tools to Reduce Wrist Pain from Computer Use

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful condition where a nerve in the wrist gets compressed. I suffered through this wrist pain for years. I thought it was just a part of my life going forward. If I wanted to have an office-based career where I worked on a computer, I’d have carpal tunnel syndrome from typing, indefinitely.

But in my experience, the theory that wrist pain comes from the act of typing is a misconception. I had carpal tunnel syndrome from using an old-school, tall, bulky keyboard and mouse. I had to extend my wrists to lift my hands onto my tall keyboard and mouse. Holding this vulnerable wrist position for 8 hours a day is why the nerve in my wrist was compressed. It actually didn’t have anything to do with how much I was typing. Instead, it was the repetitive strain and overuse of constantly extending my wrists.

Tools to Reduce Wrist Pain from Computer Use — This style of keyboard and mouse are not good tools to reduce wrist pain from computer use. This tall, bulky style of keyboard and mouse is actually what caused my wrist pain.

This article will explain how I prevent wrist pain by typing correctly. It will also talk about ergonomic tools to reduce wrist pain. Finally, it will talk about how I strengthen my wrists away from my desk, which is also a method of wrist pain relief for computer users.

Is Sitting on Your Knees Bad?

I’m not of fan of sitting on my knees. I just don’t see how it can be good for me.

Especially considering I played catcher in baseball during my teenage years. Which required me to spend A LOT of time in the squatted position. Even back then when I was in the game, I never rested on my knees. It just didn’t feel good to me.

Is Sitting on Your Knees Bad? — The risk vs reward of sitting on my knees just isn’t worth it for me.

I know it’s pretty common for some people to sit on their knees. Especially while working on something that requires them to be low to the ground. Or playing with the kids on the floor.

I’m not speaking for them in this article. I’m just speaking for myself, through my experience of being an athlete who has a full-time job working on a computer.

Most people don’t think about knee pain after sitting. Or, its long-term impact on joint health, circulation, and posture.

So today, I’m dedicating this post to talk about whether or not sitting on your knees is bad.

Proper Computer Ergonomics

I want my computer workstation to be an asset that promotes good posture as soon as I sit (or stand).

Not a liability that creates posture mistakes immediately.

The key to preventing most of my computer posture problems lies in 3 simple ergonomic adjustments. They apply regardless if I’m working at a sitting or standing workstation.

This article will talk about those proper computer ergonomics.

Can Bad Posture Cause Headaches?

Headaches are the worst. I used to get them weekly. I thought they were migraine attacks. But it turns out, they were really bad tension headaches. And they were awful.

This was before I learned how to improve posture while sitting at computer.

Can Bad Posture Cause Headaches? — I used to get multiple headaches a week due to my poor computer posture.

I blamed my headaches on dehydration mainly. Then stress and lack of sleep. And they were all variables. But I had no idea that holding my poor posture (for long periods) was contributing heavily to my head pain.

Bad posture doesn’t just affect how you look. It can put continuous strain on your neck, shoulder, and upper back. This triggered my posture-related headaches.

I’m dedicating this post to talk about how bad posture used to cause my headaches.

Back Exercises to Avoid with Lower Back Pain

Exercise has provided me with incredible benefits. It improves my strength, my breathing, and my computer posture. All of these are great for keeping me in shape.

My goals during exercise are pretty simple. Do body weight exercises and/or lift weights. For the last 15 minutes of my workout, I make it higher intensity. I don’t take any breaks in between sets. This helps to increase my breathing rate. This portion of the workout may not seem like a long one. But when you are constantly moving the whole time, it gets difficult and challenging quickly.

There are back exercises that can help relieve back pain, strengthen the back muscles, alleviate stiffness, and improve mobility.

There are also certain exercises that are not good for people with lower back pain. Triggering the wrong muscles, as well as straining the joints and ligaments, can worsen the lower back pain. Since we sit at a computer for long periods of time, we are already very likely to suffer from back pain.

So today, I’m sharing a roundup of back exercises that people with lower back pain should avoid. My articles are not medical advice. They are based on my personal experience and my opinions. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.

10 Neck Posture Exercises

Most people don’t realize how much time they spend looking down at a phone, or at their computer monitor, when in a seated position. I used to be one of these people.

These habits put extra strain on my neck and shoulders which led to poor posture, discomfort, headaches, and long-term alignment issues. It also lead to excessive muscle tension, chronic pain, and joint dysfunction.

Doing targeted neck posture exercises (both stretching and strengthening) helped me correct these issues and regain good posture.

In this article, I’m sharing a round up of neck posture exercises that helped me, which you can add to your routines.