For those that have to sit most of the day, how do you cope (with back pain)

[Brisbot]

Not entirely sure why I'm making this thread but since the demographic here is similar in many ways this might help? Worth a shot.

Alright I'm 20, twerking on a computer science degree thingy. I basically have sit all day, except for 4 days a week where I get about 30 minutes of exercise starting recently. I work on school (for many hours )I sit, I make music (for many hours) I sit. I go to work I sit (for many hours). The past year it's really started to take a toll on my back. I was much more active in school, played sports etc. but now that I'm getting to adult life the free time window has to be allotted to the things that are important to me.

The research shows on the 'sitting epidemic' that you're at risk for heart disease from sitting 7+ hours a day. I get wayy over that and basically have no choice if I aim to be a middle class kinda guy.

So to cope so far I've only started doing weights, kind of light and don't plan on getting 'big' or anything. It's a health thing. I am considering maybe getting into that trend of a treadmill desk or a standing one. A lot of people I talk to in these kinds of professions have a lot of back pain. I want to try to avoid that.

Suggestions?

[chenGOD]

Every 40-60 minutes take a 5 minute break, stand up and walk around.

Have good posture when you are sitting.

When you're doing your work out, make sure you work your core muscles.

 

You should not be having lower back pain at 20.

[Rubin Farr]

Stretching is a godsend for back pain. After leaving the US I was depressed about not getting back rubs from my partner, but I can attest to the benefits of daily stretching exercises. I do a morning full range of motion routine, then if desk sitting starts to bother me, sit up as straight as possible, and let your chin sink into your chest. Then I do another full range before my workout routine. Try it.

[Brisbot]

Every 40-60 minutes take a 5 minute break, stand up and walk around.

Have good posture when you are sitting.

When you're doing your work out, make sure you work your core muscles.

 

You should not be having lower back pain at 20.

I'm hoping it's just the muscles, I definitely only feel it in the muscles. I agree, thing is I've been VERY sedentary the past 2 years. And ignored the back pain for a while as I assumed it would go away. If I can't do it on my own I'm definitely going to get it checked out.

 

Also thank you Rubin for the tips.

[QQQ]

i went to see a doctor for back pain because i work in a call centre and one day the pain got too bad to sit down (i'm 24 years old). she told me to try to work on having good posture (mine is awful when sitting) and to not sit for more than an hour at a time.

 

the first i still struggle with and the 2nd i have no choice in because i work for a soul destroying company and god forbid you are allowed to take any time away from your phone :^)

 

she also told me to try and realign my back when i got pain. she said to do this by standing straight up against a wall.

[ambermonk]

Alright I'm 20, twerking on a computer science degree thingy.

Wait a minute...twerking?

 

Anyway, my advice would be to make sure whatever chair you're sitting is sturdy enough. Also may need to flip or rotate your mattress every few months. Might help to get up and walk around periodically too if you're sitting for long hours.

 

Also what Chen said. I was 26 when I started having serious lower back pain and it was primarily from bad posture sitting in a boat during a fishing trip. I also suggest bending your knees if you have to lift heavier objects, basically starting from a crouching position. Shit can wreck your back if you don't bend them knees first.

[LimpyLoo]

Heroin and/or the Alexander Technique

[Guest]

Yoga.

I take yoga lessons once a week (vishhana hot flow yoga.. basically bikram yoga without the teachings of bikram) and practice yoga every morning for 30 to 45 minutes. Morning practice always includes 5 or 6 sun salutations and whatever else feels like my body needs

Also to walk around, stretch your body and not be afraid of judgement when you do

[LimpyLoo]

Seriously though, learning the basic heuristics of Alexander Technique is immensely helpful for everything from playing an instrument to sitting down to walking to yoga...or really anything to do with physical comfort and efficiency.

 

(There's some literature floating around online but I'm not sure where best to point you towards)

[caze]

go for walks, get a standing desk if you can (I have one, sit around 50% of the time on average probably - using a tall 'draftsman's chair' rather than an adjustable desk), stretch. I used to get back pain when I was younger, but don't these days. stay away from chiropractors.

[chenGOD]

Yeah standing/adjustable desks are great. Get one if you can. There's a cardboard thing online that's a viable cheap solution.

And posture posture posture.

[Adieu]

Not entirely sure why I'm making this thread but since the demographic here is similar in many ways this might help? Worth a shot.

 

Alright I'm 20, twerking on a computer science degree thingy. I basically have sit all day, except for 4 days a week where I get about 30 minutes of exercise starting recently. I work on school (for many hours )I sit, I make music (for many hours) I sit. I go to work I sit (for many hours). The past year it's really started to take a toll on my back. I was much more active in school, played sports etc. but now that I'm getting to adult life the free time window has to be allotted to the things that are important to me.

 

The research shows on the 'sitting epidemic' that you're at risk for heart disease from sitting 7+ hours a day. I get wayy over that and basically have no choice if I aim to be a middle class kinda guy.

 

So to cope so far I've only started doing weights, kind of light and don't plan on getting 'big' or anything. It's a health thing. I am considering maybe getting into that trend of a treadmill desk or a standing one. A lot of people I talk to in these kinds of professions have a lot of back pain. I want to try to avoid that.

 

Suggestions?

 

Basically, what you're looking at doing is minimizing the amount of atrophy that occurs from sitting. That's the main cause of back pain. What you're also looking to do is keep your hamstrings from getting tight constantly. If you're hamstrings are constantly tight that's generally a sign your back is already atrophied/ing.

 

Solutions:

 

- Posture chair, there are many different kinds:

 

Basically these should force you to keep your back muscles engaged so they don't atrophy.

 

 

Back and core muscle atrophy is a sort of domino effect of a poor physical state. Once you get so far gone to the point of constant pain, it can be difficult to break out of that cycle due to exercise being painful.

 

I experienced this myself,

 

I was an 8 hour/day gamer for most of my teenage life and that continued into my 20's.

 

It was ok while i was a teenager, because I was very active in sports, etc.

 

But it really caught up with me, and when I began trying to become fit and healthy around 3 years ago it was a huge struggle.

 

The amount of damage that sort of lifestyle does to your entire body is so subtle until you begin trying to engage your body once again.

 

I started doing P90X and I was in soooooo much pain all the time.

 

My back especially, had been plaguing me with sciatica type pains, and when I began doing intense yoga and things of that nature the pain would be constant.

 

But over time as I became stronger, I worked on my posture regularly, focusing on keeping my core engaged while sitting and walking, and standing upright as often as possible--this becomes easier as you build your core muscles and become stronger...But if you have a shitty chair it's almost impossible, (personally I use a Herman Miller Aeron Chair)

 

It got a lot better. Now my posture is better. I know what it feels like to sit up and stand properly. I know when I'm slouching at my desk so I can continue to correct myself.

 

It's almost impossible to continually sit up properly when you sit for so many hours. The best course is to take regular breaks--stretching, minor exercises, etc.

 

It's also a necessity that you take the time out of your day to love your body. Meaning, you need to exercise as close to everyday as possible, even if that means just a stretching routine.

 

The best exercise routine for longevity and also for not getting "big" is High Intensity Interval Training. Find a program that works for you, stick to it, and you can watch your body drastically change as it moves from broken (sitting constantly) to functional.

 

It's really such a rewarding process. Good luck!

[Adieu]

Also want to note that spending all your time working and not allotting time for taking care of yourself has been regularly shown to be counter-productive.

 

For instance, 1 hour of exercise per day = improved performance everywhere else. Meaning the time lost isn't really lost at all.

 

And likely, no exercise = less productive in the 8 hours you worked vs the 7 hours.

[Joyrex]

My Apple Watch reminds me to stand up every hour and go for a short walk. Being a programmer, I spend far too much time sitting.

[jules]

stretch your hamstrings every morning.

 

def look into a standing desk.

[juiceciuj]

yeah. what everyone else said. regular exercise outside of work won't mitigate the fact that you've been sitting on your ass reducing bloody flow, slowing metabolic processes, etc. for the previous 8 hours (plus what, 1 or 2 hours in the car usually?).

 

i work for an ergonomics consulting company so we all have sit/stand desks and make an effort to step away from the computer quite a bit. we also use(and sell) this stretch break software called voom which just runs in your browser and prompts you every hour to take a 2 minute stretch break. it pulls up videos of office appropriate stretches. https://www.voomwell.com/. if you sign up as a company or whatever it'll track your usage against your coworkers and give you leaderboards and whatever.

 

try it free for two weeks with promo code BACKSCHOOL. fyi it's not some lame thing where you put in cc information and it auto-renews. once you put in the promo code it removes the payment fields

[juiceciuj]

i also drink about a gallon of water per day at work so i'm always going to take the piss

[LimpyLoo]

yeah. what everyone else said. regular exercise outside of work won't mitigate the fact that you've been sitting on your ass reducing bloody flow, slowing metabolic processes, etc. for the previous 8 hours (plus what, 1 or 2 hours in the car usually?).

 

i work for an ergonomics consulting company so we all have sit/stand desks and make an effort to step away from the computer quite a bit. we also use(and sell) this stretch break software called voom which just runs in your browser and prompts you every hour to take a 2 minute stretch break. it pulls up videos of office appropriate stretches. https://www.voomwell.com/. if you sign up as a company or whatever it'll track your usage against your coworkers and give you leaderboards and whatever.

 

try it free for two weeks with promo code BACKSCHOOL. fyi it's not some lame thing where you put in cc information and it auto-renews. once you put in the promo code it removes the payment fields

God dammit this is depressing

*goes outside*

[juiceciuj]

http://www.theonion.com/article/health-experts-recommend-standing-up-at-desk-leavi-37957

[LimpyLoo]

It's like dammit, sitting is the new smoking...really?

Next we'll learn that smiling and being in a good mood is bad for you

[juiceciuj]

sedentary lifestyle is probably worse than smoking, yeah? like, legitimately

[Schlitze]

LimpyLoo, you let yourself down badly by not maintaining your name change thread. It wasn't your finest hour. You disappeared for 3 weeks, your naked body being used as a pin cushion on skid row. You can't just walk back in after what happened. You need to explain what happened in your own words.

[LimpyLoo]

LimpyLoo, you let yourself down badly by not maintaining your name change thread. It wasn't your finest hour. You disappeared for 3 weeks, your naked body being used as a pin cushion on skid row. You can't just walk back in after what happened. You need to explain what happened in your own words.

Okay

I couldnt figure out how to change SN

Asked thrice for mods to change my SN

I suggested a poll and everything

I tried every conceivable method to change SN...looked at every possible option in "change profile" and "about me" etc had no luck

Closest i got was changing Tapatalk sign-in name

Then my internet got turned off because i have no idea what im doing

Typing this on GF's phone

I didnt fail y'all

Y'all failed yourselves

[caze]

 

LimpyLoo, you let yourself down badly by not maintaining your name change thread. It wasn't your finest hour. You disappeared for 3 weeks, your naked body being used as a pin cushion on skid row. You can't just walk back in after what happened. You need to explain what happened in your own words.

Okay

I couldnt figure out how to change SN

Asked thrice for mods to change my SN

I suggested a poll and everything

I tried every conceivable method to change SN...looked at every possible option in "change profile" and "about me" etc had no luck

Closest i got was changing Tapatalk sign-in name

Then my internet got turned off because i have no idea what im doing

Typing this on GF's phone

I didnt fail y'all

Y'all failed yourselves

 

you need to PM a mod and ask them to change your name to one of the names from the thread, there's enough suggestions in there that you can probably find something not-totally-terrible.

[Rotwang]

Would you describe yourself as stressed, Brisbot? I also spend most of my time sitting but I generally only experience back problems during periods of stress. Apparently that's a thing.