Sore Back from Sitting Down All Day

I’m posting this here as it’s not an injury, it’s just advice really.

My current job involves a 30-40 minute drive to work. I then sit down for the vast majority of the day, then drive home. I then sit around at home unless I’m training. You can probably see the problem already!

I already have an anterior pelvic tilt I think, but more annoyingly my back aches a lot.

I’m trying not to slump over or slouch in the chair but it’s hard when you’re sat down all day long. The chair also has a lumbar pump where you can expand the bottom part of the back support so it pushes out against your back. After a while this isn’t very comfortable.

Does anyone else have this issue or jobs where they’re sat down all day and get all tight?

Foam rolling and stretching obviously helps, but ultimately, I’ve still got to sit down and so the issues return.

Thanks,

Take your (lifting)belt, and wear it loose, so it hangs off your hips. Then take a flex band, hang it over the belt, and step through the ends of the band. Then walk around, step side to side, bend over. You will feel your glutes. You will learn how to use your feet to generate tension in your hips for posture, and not your back.

Then do some box squats. They will teach you to keep your hamstrings, glutes, and and back tight, while you relax your hip flexors. This is how you will have to learn to sit in the car and at the desk.

Get a minivan so you can sit more upright during your commute.

Do “extra workouts” for your hips. Do easy exercises to get lined up, a few times, every day. This way, you Only allow yourself to go hours between sessions, not days.

You could get a short, mini-band and do band resisted bad girls at your desk all day.

at work i stretch my hip flexors while using the computer while at my desk. Not while hand writing tho

I also stretch my hamstrings by having a trashcan (empty) flipped upside down underneath my desk, and I put my foot on it and lean forward. Do one leg at a time, inner and outer foot positioning - actually i start with inner foot positioning and then turn my body from my chair slowly (rotatable chair) to work slowly towards outer foot positioning

Prolonged sitting/flexion causes spinal fluid around the discs to build up at the raer side of the discs. Eventually leading to a bulged disc (i had thus).This can be countered implementing extension.

Do “press-ups”, or the “seal” stretch. Lay face down and push your shoulders back and up, while keeping your pelvis on the ground. Hold and exhale for 3-5 sec. repeat 10-15 times. This is best done right when waking up, like roll out of bed onto the ground, dont stand or walk. This is when the most fluid lies in/around the discs and is most easily manipulated.

If i were you, I would do this upon waking up, in the morning at work, before you leave work, and 1-2 times at night before bed.

A doctor i used to have had a gaint exercise ball she would sit on in her office.
Her daily routine had her sitting most of day.

Yes, my back kills me all the time from sitting too much and I’m only 26!

Here is what I recommend:

*Do farmers carries at least once a week.

*do front squats to help with your posture, I recommend doing them after deadlifts for high reps. Youre back/core will fatigue before your legs, usually.

*move around on your lunch break. Go for a 30 minute walk, do some light lifting, something. “I have no time” is a bullshit excuse, make time - your health comes before your job.

*be more active in general. Don’t be one of those lazy assholes who gets home from work and just sits in front of the TV. It tough to do when the weather sucks, but when it is nice go to a park, go to the beach, do something fun outside youll feel better and so will your back. Besides, life is too short to be spent rotting indoors.

*obviously see a doctor. An x-ray can determine if the spacing between your spine is normal. If it isn’t then maybe youll need an MRI, but you should still see someone.

*You could also get a standing desk, but I have heard mixed reviews about them and I have not personally used them.

Standing desk. The risers are $300. You can use banker’s boxes stacked on the desk if your company is too cheap to buy it for you. That’s what I did. Stood for six months then the VP goes “get that guy a desk already”. Get the $5 foam mat from staples to stand on. Your feet will hurt, that’s okay. Go for walks. People will treat you like a hipster weirdo. Smile at them, eat your tuna and drink from a gallon jug. You care about your health, this makes you weird in murika today.

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Get up from chair and walk around/stand up for 1 minute every hour.

Work the lower abs and rear delts hard for accesory work. Also look up Eric Cressey’s Neaderthal no more’ article series

Spend money on a good mattress. It helps a lot.

On this note, drink 64+ oz of water while at work. You’ll get up plenty.

fixed that for ya

fixed that for ya

I mean, you aren’t wrong…

On this one, though… I’m fairly sure 64oz of whiskey will lead to never standing again.

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You can’t challenge a Marine like this…

Looks like I just did, Sally … better live stream that shit too, Mary, or no one will believe ya :smirk: (I’m joking … don’t really do that, you’ll have a bad time)

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I’m glad you added that disclaimer. Guess I’ll stop now…