Why does sitting at a computer hurt my back? It’s not like I’m lifting anything heavy when I’m sitting. I’m not withstanding any impact, like I would when I’m running, or if I fell. I’m literally just sitting there. Poor posture was obviously the cause of my back pain. But what exactly was I doing wrong?
One of the most common work-related disabilities is back pain from sitting at a desk with poor posture. There are many reasons how this happens. A high amount of stress, the lack of lumbar curve, no lumbar support, the list goes on. My goal of this article is to prevent back pain by working at a computer (simply as possible). First, I’ll explain 2 poor posture habits to avoid. Then, I’ll give some ergonomic tips for back pain at computer.
This article is not professional medical advice. I share my own personal experience of ways to reduce back strain from computer sitting. Talk with your doctor as necessary. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.
Causes of Back Pain from Computer Use
Slouch Forward in Your Chair
This is the most common cause of back pain from sitting at desk. When slouching forward, we overstretch the spinal ligaments, which is dangerously destructive to our bodies. When something is physically in front of us that we are touching (like a computer work area or work surface), the natural tendency is to lean forward, often way too far forward.
Traditional office chairs are a common cause that make this worse because (oftentimes) the chair is too deep. It’s impossible to make an ergonomic chair that will fit both tall and short people equally well. So, companies make traditional office chairs that will fit very tall people comfortably. The short (and average height) people are left to suffer and slouch forward in their chair. This creates destructive, poor computer posture habits. When the chair is too deep, that means we have to lean forward more to reach our computer work area.
When you slouch forward in your chair, it causes back pain because the muscles and tendons of the back are overextended in an incorrect, unnatural position. The normal anatomy of the back is affected in a big way. The back muscles will abnormally lengthen while getting tighter and tighter over time. They will become weaker and less flexible.
Sitting Up Too Straight
This may sound strange, but sitting up too straight is another one of my causes of back pain from computer use. This is a lesser common cause, compared to slouching forward in your chair. However, it can lead to painful, chronic repetitive strain injuries. The upper body needs to be at a 90 degree angle from the floor. If you’re leaning back at all past this 90 degree angle, it will overuse the back muscles and tendons. Holding this position for long periods of time will likely increase back pain.
For example, think about doing a bicep curl with a very light weight, then holding that bicep curl at the top for an hour. Comparatively, that’s how much your back muscles are working when you are overextended at a computer for an hour.
Sitting up too straight causes back pain because the vertebrae of the spine are overextended, which leads to tendons and muscles in the back being overextended as well. The normal anatomy of the back will eventually change with an overextended spine. The back muscles will shorten and get tighter. They will also become weaker and less flexible.
Correct Sitting Posture for Avoiding Back Pain
Now that we know my 2 biggest causes of back pain from computer use, here are my ergonomic tips for back pain at computer.
Learn about the natural curves of the spine.
When people say “sit up straight”, it can actually be misleading advice. Our torso needs to be straight, but not our spine. Our spine is only straight from the front and rear views. From the side angles, the spine has natural curves in it. When slouching forward in your chair, or sitting up too straight, the natural curves in your spine can flatten out. This can cause back pain, dysfunction, muscle tension, and spinal disc degeneration.
Keep the spine stacked in a neutral position as much as possible.
When we are holding our spine with the natural curves still in place, that’s often referred to as a neutral (or balanced) position. Take a look at the below image to learn what the torso looks like when the spine is stacked in a neutral position, compared to slouching forward, also compared to sitting up too straight.
The user on the left is sitting up too straight. His mistakes start by having way too much of a lumbar curve in his lower back. The rest of his back follows course and overextends.
The user in the middle is slouching forward in his chair. Again, the lumber curve is where the mistakes start. But this time he has no lumbar curve at all. Without it, his back naturally rounds and he slouches forward.
The user on the right is sitting with a neutral spine, with the natural curves intact. You can tell because his torso is at a 90 degree angle. But, note how he still has just the right amount of a balanced lumbar curve in his lower back.
Use a lumbar support.
It may take a while to gain the body awareness to know where the natural curves are throughout your entire spine. If you’re having trouble understanding what you’re doing wrong, start by making sure you have a balanced lumbar curve in your lower back.
The user on the left is taking advantage of the lumbar support on her chair. It’s a lot easier to maintain a neutral spine when a lumbar support is used and the lumbar curve in the spine is maintained.
The user on the right is not taking advantage of the backrest on her chair. Once she loses that lumbar curve, it’s basically impossible for the rest of her spine to maintain its natural curves.
Thanks for your interest in computer posture. You’re taking valuable steps forward to improve your ergonomic quality of life. That’s something to be very proud of!
If you liked this article “Why Does Sitting at a Computer Cause Back Pain?”, check out my book titled “45 Ways to Improve Computer Posture.” It’s available in both digital and paperback versions.
>>> Click here to pick up your copy
This book is a great supplement to the article you just read. It explains how to improve your posture through different variables of health and wellness. These include sitting posture, standing posture, sleep, hydration, and breathing. Poor posture is not just how we sit at a computer. The health habits we practice, 24 hours a day, are directly related to how good (or bad) our computer posture is.
Go to SittingPosture.com/book to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen
P.S. You can sign up for my free computer posture newsletter here.