Desk Work and Your Back

Eight hours in a chair loads your spine more than most manual work. Most office back pain is mechanical - and reversible.

The 30-minute rule

Stand, stretch, or walk for one minute every thirty. No ergonomic chair replaces movement.

Set up the screen

Top of the monitor at eye level, elbows at ninety degrees, feet flat. A laptop used on its own guarantees a bent neck - use a stand and external keyboard.

Red flags

Pain radiating below the knee, numbness, weakness, or night pain that wakes you - these need an orthopedic assessment rather than another cushion.