Ask HN: Posture – what do you do during work to avoid back pain?

Doing these two things has worked extremely well for me:<p>1) Doing deadlifts. This is a strength-training exercise: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=4AObAU-EcYE" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=4AObAU-EcYE</a><p>2) Seeing a <i>good</i> chiropractor about twice a month. (You might need to shop around - I can elaborate on how to select a quality one if people want)<p>You asked about an app. I actually corrected my earlier posture and lower-back problems using the above and not any kind of app to remind myself to get up and move around; the above helped even though I routinely sat 1-2 hours at a time, in a deep coding trance, without moving around. Recently, though, I started using BreakTime (a macOS app) to remind me to look away from the screen, mainly because I believe it&#x27;s healthier for my eyes. This is a $5 app I&#x27;ve been quite happy with.<p>All the above is in the anecdotal &quot;works for me&quot; category. Good luck in your effort to find what works best for you!<p>Edit: The video link above gives a rough sense of the exercise, but the fine details matter greatly, so if you decide to do it I highly recommend studying the relevant chapter of this book: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;dp&#x2F;0982522738&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;dp&#x2F;0982522738&#x2F;</a><p>Edit 2: More about chiropractors: Few are MDs; the ones I&#x27;ve worked with all went through a 4-year, post-bachelors program. In my experience, chiropractors fit on a spectrum, going from ambulance-chasing quacks to gifted, remarkably effective healers. You want the latter. Only way to find out is to pay for about 3 visits; if you and your body are consistently feeling better physically and emotionally by then, you&#x27;ve found a good one. If not, stop, and go find another. So far, the best I&#x27;ve found lean towards alternative medicine (which was really surprising at first... I&#x27;m trained as a physicist, and was REALLY skeptical.) Can&#x27;t say that&#x27;s a general rule though. Again, all this is my experience; better to get your own experience and evaluate based on that, instead of blindly deciding based on something you read online.

What helped me most was to get an ergonomic chair and an external monitor&#x2F;keyboard&#x2F;mouse. To avoid wrist pain, I recommend a split keyboard [1], a vertical mouse [2] and an alternative keyboard layout [3].<p>[1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.microsoft.com&#x2F;accessories&#x2F;en-us&#x2F;products&#x2F;keyboards&#x2F;natural-ergonomic-keyboard-4000&#x2F;b2m-00012" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.microsoft.com&#x2F;accessories&#x2F;en-us&#x2F;products&#x2F;keyboar...</a><p>[2]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;evoluent.com&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;evoluent.com&#x2F;</a><p>[3]: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;mkweb.bcgsc.ca&#x2F;carpalx&#x2F;?full_optimization" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;mkweb.bcgsc.ca&#x2F;carpalx&#x2F;?full_optimization</a>

I go lift heavy barbells in the gym. A strong back is a healthy back.

As someone who has made huge progress on posture over a long period of time, my first recommended steps for you would be:<p>1. Watch the &quot;Deskbound&quot; Google Talk by Kelly Starett <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=kfg_e6YG37U" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=kfg_e6YG37U</a><p>2. Read and do the exercises in <i>Awareness Through Movement</i> by Moshe Feldenkrais.<p>3. Get into the habit of wiggling and shifting your body throughout the day. And get into the habit of devoting regular time to being more conscious of where your muscles are and how you are using them.<p>4. Trigger Point Therapy is amazing for self-treating body pain, if you are willing to experience short bursts of pain during the treatment.

I&#x27;ve had few&#x2F;any complaints since strapping one of these to my cheapo office chair (at the recommendation of a spine&#x2F;back specialist):<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Original-McKenzie-Lumbar-Roll-OPTP&#x2F;dp&#x2F;B000H48WYA&#x2F;ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1475764233&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=lumbar+back+roll" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Original-McKenzie-Lumbar-Roll-OPTP&#x2F;dp...</a><p>The extra lumbar support is really comfortable, and it sort of subtly nudges you to stay in a healthy position. Even when I&#x27;m completely unmindful of my posture, it keeps a healthy arch in my back.<p>I also take a 20 - 30 minute walk at lunch several days a week.

everyday stretching + yoga for 15-20 min in the end of the day has eliminated my backpain pretty much completely<p>I do not do anything special DURING the day except occasional (1-2 times a week) yoga sessions for 30-40 min at lunch<p>I was surprised to see that so little exercise had such a big impact on my well-being.

I added a function to my bash that forces me to do pushups every 30 minutes (by turning off my monitor and keyboard). <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;gist.github.com&#x2F;jerel&#x2F;1fc7686263c9427522f945f755e0a724" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;gist.github.com&#x2F;jerel&#x2F;1fc7686263c9427522f945f755e0a7...</a> An hour after I start work in the morning a cron job reminds me to start a terminal and run `work 8` (or however many pushups I want to do that day). I do the pushups on my knuckles to avoid aggravating my wrists.<p>I also have a Kinesis Advantage keyboard, go to a good chiropractor, and do cycling. All of which seems to contribute to a (nearly) pain free existence.

Exercise, and if you had to limit to just one thing. Pushups. They work your whole body, especially core, and back. You can do them anywhere. I like to take random breaks throughout the day, and just get down and do ten pushups. Secondly, a good chair. Currently using the Herman Miller Embody, and love it. Third, a good mattress. Just picked up a Saatva, and for $1000 delivered, it&#x27;s by FAR the best mattress I&#x27;ve ever had.<p>Pushups, and don&#x27;t skimp on the two things you spend the majority of your day in. Chairs and Beds.

This book is the best one on the subject<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Treat-Your-Back-Robin-McKenzie&#x2F;dp&#x2F;0959774661" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Treat-Your-Back-Robin-McKenzie&#x2F;dp&#x2F;095...</a><p>The core idea is that most back pain is caused by the shortening of the muscles in your back. &quot;Posture&quot; is not a productive way to think about it because you don&#x27;t have the flexibility to be in the correct posture. If you try to improve your posture without addressing flexibility you will feel more pain.<p>The exercises in that book will help, also try the &quot;Cobra&quot; position from yoga, and also this exercise<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;reichandlowentherapy.org&#x2F;Content&#x2F;Practices&#x2F;Grounding&#x2F;bow.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;reichandlowentherapy.org&#x2F;Content&#x2F;Practices&#x2F;Grounding&#x2F;...</a><p>If you stand up and do the &quot;bow&quot; whenever you have back pain you will probably feel better pretty quickly (1 to 2 weeks)<p>If you are popping NSAIDs or tylenol, also consider the antidepressant Venlafaxine. It is often highly effective on chronic pain, particularly things like back pain that definitely have a stress-related component.

I started getting chronic back pain last year after being in a desk position for quite some time. I even considered switching jobs as I was that uncomfortable sitting. Some things that have helped:<p>Movement. Try to get up and move around at least once every hour or so. Going for a couple of 15 minute walks on breaks helps as well. It is the lack of movement and tightening of muscles that causes most of the pain.<p>Decent Office Chair. The one I have can lean back quite far, and I find this more comfortable. Try to change positions in your chair to keep your body posture and muscles moving.<p>Chiropractor. When my back starts acting up more than usual I&#x27;ll see a chiropractor. This can help loosen up really tight joints and crack your spine or ribs back into proper position.<p>I&#x27;ve heard both swimming and yoga can both work wonders as well, but have yet to try these. Goodluck!

My posture improved and my occasional back pain went away entirely after I added &quot;roman chair&quot;[1] to my exercise routine. This is a machine at the gym where you lie on a pad a few feet off the floor and your legs are held in place, and you raise your upper body by contracting your lower back. Reading online now that it can be dangerous if you&#x27;re too gung ho about it, so do it without weights at first. There are also a lot of other lower back exercises like deadlifts, etc, but this one works best for me.<p>I like dealing with this stuff through exercise because it avoids the annoyance of having to remind myself to sit a certain way or buying special chairs or desks.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Roman_chair" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Roman_chair</a>

Stretch hamstrings, piriformis, possibly quad lumborum for lower back. Get up every 15mins and give those poor hamstrings a break. Strengthen core, and not no, not just abs! Shoulder and scapula work is needed for upper. Good posture, no internal rotation. Shoulders back, pecs to the sky.<p>Myofascial release ball and or foam roll glutes, rhomboids and rotator cuffs a lot.<p>Lifting regularly has really fixed my posture. Bar the odd injury due to bad form and tight hamstrings. Work on core and mobility before starting to lift heavy.<p>Seeing a physio every so often is worth its weight in gold. There are lots of prehab things that can be done but its still worth seeing an expert. You only get one body and it is not meant to sit all day.

I have been working at a standup desk for about the last 10 years. To combat fatigue, I add a walk around the room every 20 minutes. This system has mostly eliminated all aches and pains for me.

10 min PLANK. First thing in the AM. Then before Bed. On Elbows.

I recently made a lil app that tracks how long you&#x27;ve been sitting at a computer using facial recognition. It&#x27;s actually encouraged me to get up and off my computer when I&#x27;ve been sitting for too long; I can see I&#x27;ve been sitting in front the computer for like five hours. The time stops when you walk away. Super helpful.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;overworked.io" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;overworked.io</a>

There is no &quot;proper&quot; sitting. The best thing you can do is to change your sitting position like every 30 minutes or so. Of course, standing up and doing some basic stretching would help too.<p>I am not recommending exercising for this specific reason, we should all be exercising regardless :)

I am using MacBreakz [1] to remind me to take breaks and do some stretching throughout the day. I have not any back pains, but had severe RSI several years ago. A break program was the most important component to get better, along with an ergonomic mouse and keyboard.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.publicspace.net&#x2F;MacBreakZ&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.publicspace.net&#x2F;MacBreakZ&#x2F;</a>

Work out in the morning every day (strength stuff with dumbbells as the gym in the office doesnt have barbells).<p>I get up and walk around every couple of hours at least.<p>Slouch in the chair the rest of the time. Any time I&#x27;ve tried to sit according to &quot;recommendations&quot; (i.e. more straight up), my back hurts. Slouching at a 135 degree angle means no back pain for me.

This may not work for everyone but I got one of those large rubber inflatable balls like you see in gyms and put it in my office. I lay on it and stretch my back. Also side note, check your shoes and chair. All of my back pain could be traced to either my shoes, or my chair. Consider buying your own chair if you have to.

My team takes a scheduled break (its completely optional tho) at 3pm and we get a conference room open up a google hangout for remotes and go around the circle. Each person present picks a stretch and everyone tries it out. You get about 5-10 good stretches over about 10-15 min and its a nice break from the day.

My lower back pain all but vanished after we tried one of those foam mattress startups (we chose Leesa). We bought one for my father a few months later, and it worked for him as well.<p>It takes courage to throw away a 4 year old $3k mattress that required special-order extra-deep fitted sheets. ;)

Standing + adjustable standing desk do I can sit or stand.<p>Moving my feet - &quot;fidgeting&quot; to avoid frozen body patterns. Taking frequent breaks and rigorous walks at the advise of my father who is a cardiovascular surgeon.

I use a Humanscale Freedom chair w&#x2F; headrest.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.humanscale.com&#x2F;products&#x2F;product.cfm?group=FreedomTaskChairWithHeadrest" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.humanscale.com&#x2F;products&#x2F;product.cfm?group=Freedom...</a>

Try this exercise: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=LT_dFRnmdGs" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=LT_dFRnmdGs</a><p>I&#x27;ve been doing it for a few days now and it is quick, easy and seems to help.

I elevated my laptop with a 2ish inch folder holder. It&#x27;s saved my neck from bending as much. The trade off is that my hands have to be elevated to type which might not work if you are typing extensively during the day.

At least 10 min daily exercise for the back. Push ups, rolling on the back, back and forth while keeping your knees close to your chest, etc. The essential bit here is _daily_ . Use alarm or sth to remember, never skip it.

I&#x27;ve read somewhere that Donald Knuth had suffered back pain. His doctor adviced him to swim three or four times a week and he eventually confirmed that swimming is an effective excercise to cure and avoid backpain.

Standing at work and losing weight have eliminated my back pain.

Sit&#x2F;stand desk, stretching.