Why does my lower back hurt when I sit all day?

23 hours ago
4 min read

So, you’ve been at the desk all day, and look at the time and then realised you haven't actually moved for a few hours. Whoops! You notice when it's time to get up that you're really tight, stiff and sore in your lower back. Sound familiar? This, unfortunately, is very common. Despite what you might think, it's not because something is “wrong” with your back.

The real issue isn't just sitting, it's how long you’ve been sitting for. We are now looking at sitting as the new smoking. It's affecting our health in a lot of negative ways. But the reality is it pays the bills. We have to do it and our jobs require it. That doesn't mean we have to just “sit” and take it!

What's happening:

Our body is built to move. We are a machine so staying in one position over a long period of time is difficult to counter.

When we sit all day:

Your hip joint is shortened.

We are in a “neutral” position when we are lying flat or standing, so the action of sitting is putting our hips into a 90 degree angle. This angle over time (years, school, jobs, lifestyle etc) then shortens our hip flexor muscles. Consequently, this then can positionally tilt our pelvis, which can lead to a strain into the lower back - again; over years of this type lifestyle, which inherently is all of us.

Your glutes switch off.

Not entirely, but our body again is flawless, it wants to conserve energy. Once your brain knows you’ll be sitting for longer than a few minutes, it starts to “turn off” the gluteals/bottom muscles. Again, habitually, this will create that shortening effect mentioned above, and lead to tilting the pelvis due to this imbalance between glutes and hip flexors

Your lower back takes more load than it should

When we sit, we are also competing against gravity and we inevitably slouch. Depending on your own workplace ergonomics too, our lower backs take on more pressure and load over the course of the day.

Blood flow and movement decreases

When we are sedentary, we are not moving. This means our blood flow is reduced and our mobility is less.

The results of these things means over time, our back and hips have more stiffness, tension and discomfort. It’s less about “sitting being bad”, and more about “not moving enough,”

“Bad posture” isn’t the villain you think it is

Postural pain is a common presentation. Bad posture gets the blame a lot, however, we believe, and many people hear me say this in the clinic - no one has “perfect posture,” it's more “what is your next posture.”

You try sitting perfectly. It hurts! We can’t do that! We want to be comfortable. Being dynamic is more important. Your body doesn't like being held in one position for a long time, even if it's a “good” position! The key take away isn't perfection, it’s variation.

Common signs your back pain is coming from too much sitting

Stiffness when you stand up after sitting
A dull ache in the lower back by the end of the day
Feeling better once you start moving or walking
Tight hips or hamstrings

If that sounds like you, your body is likely just asking for more movement

Case Study

John found that he had a really stiff back when working long days at the computer, after a few sessions to help with some immediate relief we looked at what we can change in his daily habits to better equip his body.

Quick reminders every 30 minutes to make sure he has a tiny bit of movement.
A quick 5 minute flow of exercises to promote health movement in his spine
Actually using the function on his standing desk
Booking in a walk in his calendar so he can get in as many steps as possible in 30 min

Once the good habits were in place we looked at further strengthening and really equipping for a happy healthy back.

What actually helps your lower back (and it’s simpler than you think)

You don’t need to quit your desk job or overhaul your life, and realistically, that isn't going to happen anyway. But here are a few tips we can try to implement into your day to break up the sitting.

Start with these:

For every 30 minutes of sitting, add in 30 seconds of exercise That can be a wiggle in your seat, a glass of water, a stretch of the arms.
Change your position often Lean back, sit forward, roll your shoulders. Movement is more important than “perfect posture.”
Move your hips Simple things like walking, lunges, or even a few squats during the day can reduce the load on your back.
Build strength (especially glutes and core) A stronger body handles sitting loads much better.
Moving meetings!

If you have access to standing desks, walking pads or a meeting that could be taken on a coffee walk, these are great ways to implement movement into your day. We like the following in regards to standing desks:

Set to standing at the start of the day, and do this first task standing
Set to standing before you go to lunch, so when you come back from lunch break its already there for you
Do your last task of the day standing, that way when you come in the next morning, it's already set up for your next day.
Not complicated, more habit stacking behaviours.

When should you get it checked?

If your pain isn’t improving, getting worse, or affecting your sleep or daily tasks, that's the time to see us and get it assessed. Sometimes there are other contributing factors like joint stiffness, muscle imbalances, or movement patterns that need a bit more guidance.

How Osteopathy can help back pain

Osteopathy looks at how your whole body moves, and not just where the pain is.

Treatment may include:

Hands-on manual therapy techniques to reduce stiffness, improve blood flow and improve range of motion.
Advice on movement, positioning and ergonomics
Simple, tailored exercises to keep you pain-free long term

The bottom line

Your back isn’t “weak” or “damaged.” It’s just not designed to sit still all day. The goal isn’t to sit perfectly, it’s to move more, and move more often.

If you’re dealing with ongoing back pain, getting on top of it early makes a big difference.

Feel free to reach out or book in with us, we can help you get moving comfortably again.

Book now