Back Pain from Sitting in Office Chair

Back pain caused by sitting in an office chair for long periods can be relieved through the following methods:

Simple Stretching Exercises

• Hip Stretch: Place your right leg over your left leg, push left with your right hand, turn your head and body to the right together, and lean slightly forward. This helps relax the hip muscles and reduce pressure on the lower back.
• Iliopsoas Stretch: Sit on the edge of the chair, extend one leg backward, and push your hip forward slightly. Be careful not to extend your lumbar spine forward. Alternatively, you can do a lunge, sink your hip downward and push it forward while keeping your lumbar spine stable. This can relieve tension in the iliopsoas muscles.
• Quadratus Lumborum Stretch: Use your hand to block your leg to prevent lumbar spine rotation. Extend your other hand forward and upward. You can slightly laterally flex your thoracic spine. Not raising your hand is also fine. This can stretch the quadratus lumborum muscles and improve lower back stiffness.
• Spinal Extension: Sit up straight, avoid bending forward or arching your back excessively or having rib flare. Cross your hands and reach them toward the sky. Then exhale and feel your abdomen gradually tighten. Inhale and feel your chest expand. Imagine your spine extending. This can enhance spinal flexibility.
• Thoracic Spine Rotation: Use your hand to block your leg, keep your chest up but not arch your back, and keep your hip as still as possible. Use your other hand to hold onto the chair or extend it backward. You should feel a squeezing sensation in your scapular back area. This can move the thoracic spine and reduce the burden on the lower back.
• One-Minute Relief Exercise: Sit slightly forward on the edge of the chair, keep your feet firmly on the ground, keep your back naturally straight, avoid slouching, cross your hands behind your head, and open your elbows to the sides. This can quickly relieve lower back fatigue.

Adjust Your Sitting Posture

Maintain the natural physiological curvature of the lumbar spine. Choose a chair with a backrest and use a soft pillow to support your lower back. Keep your feet flat on the ground and your knees at a 90-degree angle with your hip joints. Avoid sitting in a hunched or forward-leaning position for long periods. When working, you can use an ergonomic lumbar support. Adjust your sitting posture every 30 minutes to reduce pressure on the lower back.

Take Regular Breaks

Sitting continuously for more than 1 hour can easily lead to poor blood circulation in the lower back. It is recommended to get up and move for 3 - 5 minutes every hour. Do gentle lower back rotation and lateral bending exercises, or engage in low-intensity activities such as standing against a wall or walking to promote blood circulation in the lower back.

Apply Heat Therapy

For chronic strain-related lower back pain, you can use a hot towel at around 40°C to apply to your lower back for 15 - 20 minutes, 2 - 3 times a day. Heat therapy can dilate blood vessels and accelerate the removal of metabolic waste. It works even better when combined with gentle massage. For acute sprains, apply cold therapy within 48 hours and then switch to heat therapy. The choice of physiotherapy equipment should be under the guidance of a doctor.

Strengthen Your Lower Back Muscles

It is recommended to perform core muscle group training such as the Superman exercise, hip bridge, and plank every day for 10 - 15 minutes each time. The Cat-Cow pose in swimming and yoga can enhance the endurance of the lower back muscles and improve lumbar spine stability. Exercise should be done gradually. Avoid strenuous exercise that may aggravate the injury. Patients with osteoporosis need to adjust the intensity.

Use Medications

When the pain is obvious, you can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets and celecoxib capsules, or topical flurbiprofen gel patches under the guidance of a doctor. Patients with muscle spasms can take methocarbamol tablets in combination. Patients with osteoporosis need to take anti-osteoporosis drugs such as alendronate sodium tablets in combination. All medications should be used after excluding contraindications.