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Back pain and sitting are increasingly associated with each other. But is sitting for hours really the new smoking, and does it actually cause damage to the intervertebral discs or even the spine?
The fact is that back pain is one of the main causes of sick leave in most statistics. In addition, a large proportion of these sick people have a sedentary job. There is therefore no doubt that sitting and back pain are linked. Furthermore, back pain in the lumbar region leads the ranking.
Therefore, it is fundamentally important to understand what the various causes are, why so many people suffer from lower back pain, and how a lumbar support can contribute to prevention or healing.
What are the causes of lower back pain?
Since lower back pain is widespread, it is important to know the cause so that the problem can be tackled at its roots. Here is a list of the most common reasons for problems in the back and lumbar region.
Movement
A main reason for back pain, and especially lower back pain, is a lack of movement. The lack of movement is caused on the one hand by staying in the same position for a long time while working (mostly while sitting) and because many people do little or no exercise.
Often, when sitting on an office chair, the backrest is locked, whereas dynamic sitting, i.e. with a movable backrest, would return fluid to the intervertebral discs. With dynamic sitting, the intervertebral discs are kept supple, which prevents lower back pain. Therefore, do not keep the backrest of your office chair locked, but in a movable state. The counter-pressure of the backrest must be adjusted according to your weight so that you effectively continue to have support from the back cushion, even when it moves.
In addition, modern humans have invented more and more new ways of getting around and unfortunately move their bodies even less as a result, which in turn has a negative effect on our musculoskeletal system and often ends in back pain.
In the past, the advice for back problems was to keep still, move as little as possible, and lie down a lot. In the meantime, however, it has been recognized that movement is an excellent remedy for back pain and serves as an outstanding preventive measure.
Stress
The stress factor is another trigger for back pain. Too much stress causes muscles to tense up, which triggers lower back pain or pain in the shoulder and neck region for many. This tension often leads to poor posture because people try to avoid the pain, which leads to a vicious cycle and brings even more back pain. Therefore, try to avoid stress as much as possible and do not try to achieve the impossible, as this will ultimately damage your health.
One-sided physical strain
One-sided physical strain is another factor in back pain. This happens, for example, when a load is always carried on only one side, whether it is a briefcase, shopping bag, or shoulder bag. This creates a one-sided strain on the lumbar vertebrae.
But even if the same leg is always crossed over the other in a sitting position, this can cause the pelvis to become misaligned over time.
If you catch yourself in one of these situations, always try to carry heavy loads distributed with both arms or change sides regularly. The same applies to alternating when crossing your legs. Here too, alternate the crossed legs regularly. It would be best not to cross your legs at all and to adopt an upright sitting position with parallel thighs.
Overweight
Being overweight not only puts strain on the joints, but also on the spine and especially the lower back. Especially when overweight people bend down, this creates even greater pressure on the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region, which can accelerate a herniated disc. If you are overweight and have back pain, you should contact a nutritionist and switch to a healthy diet.
Gardening and the like
Heavy physical work, or gardening in particular, can quickly strain your back and is usually felt first in the lower back. This is partly because such work involves an unusual position that puts a one-sided strain on the intervertebral discs in the lumbar region. Therefore, it is advisable to respect ergonomics, especially during such activities, and not to work with a hunched back. The position should also be changed regularly so that no one-sided strain can occur. When gardening, you should stand up straight for a moment in between and adopt an upright position. This relieves the back and stimulates blood circulation.
Mattress
When lying on a mattress that is too hard or too soft, the body is placed in an unnatural position, which can cause pressure points in the spine and thus cause discomfort in the lower and upper back. The rule of thumb for a good mattress is that the heavier the person, the firmer the mattress should be. Since you spend about 1/3 of your life on a mattress, you should seek advice from a specialist to ensure maximum quality of life and a healthy back.
Office chair
Sitting in general, but especially on an office chair at a desk, is a major cause of lower back discomfort. Although the knowledge about the effects of ergonomics and the influence on back pain in connection with an office chair is well known today, a large number of office chairs still have deficiencies. This is mainly due to the seat and back cushions, which are usually too thin and do not have an ergonomic shape. In an office chair, a lumbar support should be integrated into the back cushion as standard through its shape, but unfortunately this is rarely the case. As a result, classic office ailments in the lower back, especially in the area of the lumbar spine L4/L5, remain widespread. Herniated discs are also mostly found in the lumbar spine area and are often the result of years of incorrect sitting posture and the resulting overloading of the intervertebral discs.
What is a lumbar support?
To ensure that the back, or rather the spine, remains in its natural S-shape even when sitting, appropriate support is needed in the back cushion. This ensures an upright sitting position and the curvature in the lumbar region guarantees a healthy posture.
A lumbar support in an office chair can be present in two different ways:
Lumbar support already integrated into the shape of the back cushion
Actually, it should be a must for every office chair that the shape of the cushions is ergonomically developed. The natural curvature of a spine should be reflected in the back cushion. However, a majority of office chairs are produced in a cheap way. On the one hand, foam material is saved, and on the other hand, production costs are massively reduced by a simple shaping of the cushions. This explains why so many office chairs have thin cushions or cheap foam material is used, which is worn out after a few years and then crumbles like flour. Nevertheless, many manufacturers claim to offer ergonomic office chairs. However, there are three simple tricks to quickly test an office chair for its ergonomics.
1. A clear support should be felt in the lower third of the back cushion. The cushion must have a curvature of a few fingers' thickness in this area and project outwards so that the important support of the lumbar vertebrae is effectively guaranteed. Just a small curve or a flat surface, as with most cheap office chairs, is insufficient and can have a highly detrimental effect on health.
2. Thin cushions can provide only little support for the lumbar region. Therefore, thicker cushions are better suited for comfortable back support, and with more foam, more support can be provided in the lower back. Cushions with molded foam would be ideal, as this material retains its resilience for years and does not disturb blood circulation due to its softness. The easiest way is to press your index finger or thumb onto a seat or back cushion; you should not feel a hard surface, only the foam. The faster you feel the hard surface, the more problems such a cushion can cause after hours of sitting.
3. Sit on the office chair yourself and test it. A test over several days would be best. If you do not have the time for this, you can consciously sit on the chair for a moment and check whether you effectively have a straight back when you sit all the way back in the chair and lean against the back cushion. You must not get a hunched back; instead, the spine must be in the same posture as when you are standing. The back cushion should feel snug against your entire back, without leaving any empty spaces.
With office chairs with a mesh back, an ideal, ergonomic support is generally less present than with cushions with foam. This is mainly because the mesh cover loosens slightly over the years and thus provides less support for the lumbar vertebrae. On the other hand, a mesh feels harder than foam, which in turn negatively affects blood circulation. Many people choose a mesh back because of the good ventilation, which is certainly an argument. However, it should also be taken into account that many people catch a cold on their back and kidneys precisely because of this air permeability and fall ill as a result. An ergonomic shape can be guaranteed with a mesh back if the mesh has strong tension and a good curvature in the lumbar region, even when the mesh is under load.
Additional lumbar support for office chairs as an option
Higher quality office chairs offer the option of a lumbar support. Such an additional lumbar support is certainly a sensible additional option on an office chair and should be chosen especially if the normal cushions do not yet offer enough support in the lower back area.
There are various types of such optional lumbar supports.
- With a mechanical lumbar support, the curvature is created by tightening or loosening the mechanism. Tightening a wire creates more curvature, and loosening it creates less curvature. This allows the most comfortable position to be individually adjusted.
- A similar system exists with an air pump, where pumping in air causes more curvature and releasing the air causes less curvature. The only disadvantage of such systems is that they do not remain 100% airtight and some air always escapes. This means that after a few days/weeks, the curvature has to be pumped up again. The advantage is that the air feels pleasantly soft and remains somewhat flexible when not completely full.
- Especially with mesh backs, foam support for the lumbar region is usually offered, which is certainly recommended here. Mesh backs generally have more of a problem guaranteeing good support for the lumbar vertebrae, but this can be resolved with such an option.
- With additional plastic or metal in the cushion or on the mesh back, additional support for the lower back can also be created. This is not an ideal method, as hard material can impair blood circulation. However, if this guarantees a better curvature in the cushion, it may still be an ergonomic improvement.
Lumbar support for a normal chair or for the car
With many car brands, you can also have a lumbar support for the car as an option today, which is certainly a good investment. With normal chairs, on the other hand, it is more difficult to get the option of a lumbar support for the chair at the time of purchase.
Especially in the car and on chairs, a lumbar support is unfortunately often missing and inevitably causes back pain. Since such an option usually cannot be purchased retroactively, you have to look for alternative products that provide support for the lumbar vertebrae. Fortunately, there is a large selection of such additional ergonomic products. These usually consist of foam or even Tempur. But products made of mesh or a kind of light grid are also available. Even if these additionally attached products look a bit unusual and might disrupt the design effect, they have a high impact as an ergonomic support. In the case of a lack of ergonomics and insufficient lumbar support in the car, on the office chair, or on chairs in general, it is absolutely advisable to use such additional products.
If I still find myself in a situation without sufficient lumbar support, which is often the case, for example, on short-haul flights on airplanes or on uncomfortable chairs in restaurants, I use, for example, a folded sweater or even my jacket as a lumbar support. With the jacket, I hang it normally over the chair and then bring the sleeves into the lumbar area and fold them twice. This has already helped me free myself from many uncomfortable chairs and sit pain-free. Of course, it would be even better to always have a portable lumbar support in your luggage. A rolled-up towel can also be an ideal lumbar support.
Concluding thoughts
Personally, I find a lumbar support to be one of the most important things in an office chair. If the cushion already contains good support, this option is no longer absolutely necessary, but it is in any case an ergonomic added value.
Considering that back pain in the lumbar spine region is in the vast majority of cases caused by incorrect sitting, a personal solution for healthy sitting should be sought as a priority. If you do not want to change your office chair immediately, at least get an additional ergonomic product that you can attach to the chair as a lumbar support. In a second step, investing in a truly ergonomic office chair with lumbar support would be important and the best solution.
If the topic of ergonomics in the office or home office appeals to you and you are interested in learning more, I can recommend my book «Wellness im Büro». Combined with humorous drawings, I share 50+1 tips to turn your office into a little paradise.
50+1 tips that turn the office into a little paradise
