Ask Lemmy

The only thing which finally helped my back was physical therapy. It was the list of 7 exercises she told me to do. I searched each on youtube and one of the videos included 2-3 extra beyond the one I was searching, and 1 of those extra exercises finally worked like a miracle! 😁 I still have the video bookmarked if you want me to search for it and link it.

Standing desk, don't be static, change positions often.

If standing is a problem the saddle stools are pretty good

PT/weight lifting really help.

Also metabolism has a big impact on joint issues and pain. If you have obesity, hypertension, snoring, skin tags, nafld, t2d, etc... they are all indicators your metabolism could use some improvement, and it probably will help your back too.

Switching to standing desk every once in a while. Motorized desks are very affordable these days.

Those kneeling office chairs really hurt my knees, I'm too tall to use saddle chairs at a regular desk and with exercise balls its hard for me to get the height right. As far as chairs go what helped me was finding a chair with adjustible lumbar support, and adjustible spring tension on reclining. Steelcase used to offer all of these features but it looks like they don't have as much adjustment now. I've heard good things about Herman Miller but I've never tried them. As for lifestyle changes: a heating pad to loosen cramps, free weights to strengthen, and a foam roller to help realign the spine have all helped me. ymmv obv.

Anthros. Sitting in anything else now kills my back.

Ergochair from aunomous.ai. Ricking the same chair since 2016.

I've had lumbar pain from bad chairs in the past, but nothing medically diagnosed (so bear that in mind, your situation might be a lot more serious).

For the past years I've been using a Secret Lab chair, and it's been wonderful. I usually tilt it so it allows me to distribute the weight across my back and not on top of my lumbar, probably not really ergonomic but I haven't experienced any problems with it.

That being said if I needed to get a new chair it wouldn't be a secret lab, as much as I like it and I think it's built like a tank and will last me forever, the lack of a way to limit the tilting is very annoying for my use case.

I have a talent. I'm able to slouch on any chair or equivalent that is presented to me.

If I remember to correct my posture I just put the pillow for my lower back, slide to the edge of my seat or do both.

Herniated L6/L7. No chair has helped me. Only things that have are

• sit/stand desk
• movement (the best position is the next position)
• dead hangs, progressed to pull ups
• deadlift, slow progression, perfect form. Teaches proper lift positioning and bracing to execute successfully.
• same for squats

Not medical advice in any way. These are just the things that have helped me immensely. If you take any lifting advice off the Internet, get a coach.

I know if my back starts to hurt it’s because I’m not doing one or all of them enough.

I've forgotten the name but this thing I found at goodwill has been great for my hips/lower back while working!!

Try spinalis chairs, but to me it was less comfortable so it was harder to focus on the task

I used the saddle and the last one. The latter felt better for my back, but strained knees quite some, the former doesn't seem to do much for posture, but the back feels a bit better now.

Exercise balls. After my boss bought a dozen for the workplace, I realized how much less my lower back was hurting. If I make an effort to also move my hip in various ways, it hurts even less. I decided to buy one myself to use when gaming on my PC. Works like a charm. Does my back still hurt? Yes. Has the exercise ball worked better and been more cost-effective than any other option thus far? Yes.

My problem is some kind of hypertension after overdoing cycling about six years ago. At least that's what they think. After having seen several specialists and doctors, they still don't know.

Instead of sitting or standing, without knowing your particular type of pain/injury, I suggest gently moving.

Walking pad/treadmill is an option, but if so go reallly slow so you take smaller steps, as walking "incorrectly" can also strain your lower back.

Perhaps a better fit would be to look for vertical motion than forward or static... standing on pedals similar to on a bike or on a stair machine or even just with one foot on a stepping board and switching whichever leg is on it frequently. Still when peddalinf, stepping or climbing stair steps: go slowly, we're not trying to break a sweat.

But probably the absolute best chioce is to ask a physician or physiotherapist that are knowledgeable about your specific kind of back issues how to sit, move, train and rest.

Good luck!

I've been using a secret labs omega for the last decade and been very happy with it. I got the fabric instead of leather and 👍 no complaints

The last one in your image is terrible. I have one and it just made my knees and lower back hurt worse. HermanMiller is really the only way to go. My wife and I both have the embody. I can sit for an entire day and my back feels the same as it did at the start. There’s a reason people gush about those chairs.

Swapped between normal and kneeling chair for a while as budget solution to back pains. Switched to sit/stand lifting desk + normal chair, stand pad (do not cheap out on the stand pad, get a nice thick one) and balance board when I upgraded my desk.

Kneeling chair was great, but shouldn't be used for long periods of time (2+ hours) according to lots of easily corroborated medical advice easily found even on the kneeling chair supplier websites.

Sit/stand desk is the best investment I've ever made, felt the improvements after 3 weeks of casual use. Balance board is awesome bonus but requires a solid hard surface. Had to buy a wooden panel to put over my plastic carpet protector cuz my place has fairly deep carpet.

I gave up trying to sit for 15+ minute sessions. I have a standing desk and two barstool-height chairs of very different designs, cycling between the three options throughout my workday.

Great that I can work from home. In the office I would look like a fidgety child.