Sitting Back Pain

However, humans have been sitting for relaxation and work for countless generations.

Why are we suddenly suffering so much from a position that seems so natural for our backs?

Many doctors speculate that sitting compresses nerves or places inordinate stress on the lumbar or lumbosacral regions. This is certainly true to some degree, but the purely structural model of back pain has failed many times. Therefore, there may be other possible causes of seated back ache to consider, as well, before jumping to any premature conclusions.

Causes of Sitting Back Pain

Patients have been warned over and over that sitting is bad for their lower back. This psychological suggestion has permeated deeply into our collective minds. We expect pain from sitting and so we experience it. This is yet another example of the nocebo effect.

Many people sit the most at work. People with work-related stress will be prone to experience psychological back pain when performing in the work environment. If you MUST sit, then sitting is likely to be the time of pain if you have underlying psychological issues at work.

Driving back pain caused by muscle tension and stress is one of the most common forms of ongoing syndromes. Driving puts a person in a static position while experiencing a heightened state of awareness and back muscle tension. Driving requires constant vigilance which can create the perfect scenario for muscular pain. Once again, many patients experience this while at work more than in other driving situations.

The seated position is not good for lower body circulation. Oxygen deprivation back pain is often experienced by those patients who are predisposed to suffer from this type of syndrome. The actual cause of this condition can be physical or psychological.

Prevention of Sitting Back Pain

Do not sit for a long time without getting up to stretch occasionally. Sitting, like any posture, will wear on our bodies after an extended period of time. Muscles get acclimated to being in a certain position and can begin to feel tired and stiff. Keep moving around at least once an hour to avoid creating a potential muscular back pain condition.

Sit in a comfortable chair. Find a chair that works best for your needs. You may want to look into chairs specifically designed back pain. There are several varieties of specialty chairs, including kneeling chairs, that may be able to help you to find greater comfort when you need to sit.

Vary your seated position. Distribute weight evenly and do not slouch. Keep your work station set up to prevent you from having to reach too far while sitting. An ergonomic work station can prevent many back pain problems from occurring.

Recommendation for Sitting Back Pain

By the way, during this time of releif, I still had 2 herniated discs in my lower back, L4/L5 and L5/S1. These are the typical discs that seem to cause seated back pain for the majority of patients.

Fast forward several years and I really can not sit comfortably at all, once again. I stand to work at my computer, which makes my legs incredibly weak and numb after a time. I put my legs up and sit on my hip to watch an hour of TV at night. I can do a movie once a week, but it is often a struggle for either my neck or my low back. Getting older really can be tough on the body, especially with the 12 herniated discs and other issues of which I am now aware reside in my spine!