Low back pain
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Of course I'll go to the doctor this next week, but meanwhile... I got a brand new Sail chair from Herman Miller. Yesterday I saw the table at the office was a little bit inclined to the right... And now, after a couple of months sitting on the new chair I've discovered my back is aching terribly in the low end left side. As most of the people here are sitting everyday and I guess I'm not the first one to get this kind of ache... What would you recommend me to soften that ache a little? Thank you all!
One source of back pain is weak stomach muscles - basic a continuous gentle stress to keep you a bit straighter with the wrong set of muscles.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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I have found two things to help - (1) Going for a walk at lunch (2) Having two tennis balls handy, lying on the ground on top of the tennis balls in the spots that ache and spending around three minutes doing the equivalent of what dogs do when they roll in something. It hurts but I have found it is the one thing that fixes my back the fastest. If I catch the ache early I find the tennis ball method can fix my back that day.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Joan M wrote:
What would you recommend me to soften that ache a little?
A sit-stand desk. This[^] is what I use at work. I also recommend a 45 minute brisk walk at lunch every day and a walk around the floor every 30 minutes. After experiencing a slipped disc a year ago, I decided I wasn't going to let my bad habits (writing code 12 hours a day) affect my health. :) /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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Yes, The tennis ball is a great idea. I use one against a wall. 5 minutes work with it can make a world of difference.
Glad to hear that - I have found tennis balls to be way better than any pain killers. It's basically a deep tissue massage at a very low price.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Of course I'll go to the doctor this next week, but meanwhile... I got a brand new Sail chair from Herman Miller. Yesterday I saw the table at the office was a little bit inclined to the right... And now, after a couple of months sitting on the new chair I've discovered my back is aching terribly in the low end left side. As most of the people here are sitting everyday and I guess I'm not the first one to get this kind of ache... What would you recommend me to soften that ache a little? Thank you all!
I had terrible lower back/hip pain, finally got some physical therapy. They gave me exercises to strengthen the core abdominal and back muscles (to better support the weight of the upper body) and some stretches to loosen up those muscles. It's worked wonders. Strongly recommended. I've went from sometimes being barely able to move to a pretty normal existence. Just occasional discomfort when I overwork that area (or don't keep up with my exercises).
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Joan M wrote:
I got a brand new Sail chair from Herman Miller.
Looks fancy but not especially ergonomic, compared to mine. I've got a "Mister Sitwell". Never had backaches since.
If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't. — Lyall Watson
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Standing for a few moments every hour plus some gentle stretches and twisting usually helps me out Edit: this sort of thing Wake-up workout - Live Well - NHS Choices[^] . I can do the seated / standing ones at work thru the day
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useful link but pretty sure doing the "knee to chest" stretch the way they have shown is potentially bad for your knees I believe the hands should be round the thigh under the knee in order to avoid putting strain on the knee joint
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Of course I'll go to the doctor this next week, but meanwhile... I got a brand new Sail chair from Herman Miller. Yesterday I saw the table at the office was a little bit inclined to the right... And now, after a couple of months sitting on the new chair I've discovered my back is aching terribly in the low end left side. As most of the people here are sitting everyday and I guess I'm not the first one to get this kind of ache... What would you recommend me to soften that ache a little? Thank you all!
Strengthening your upper back (think lat rows and flys) helped quite a bit for me. (There are variations using a stability ball and weights if you don't have a gym). But you're less hunched over, which straightens your thoracic spine, which relieves some pressure on your lumbar.
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Of course I'll go to the doctor this next week, but meanwhile... I got a brand new Sail chair from Herman Miller. Yesterday I saw the table at the office was a little bit inclined to the right... And now, after a couple of months sitting on the new chair I've discovered my back is aching terribly in the low end left side. As most of the people here are sitting everyday and I guess I'm not the first one to get this kind of ache... What would you recommend me to soften that ache a little? Thank you all!
During all those years I've been sitting at desks I had one spell of about a year where I had back pain, but rather in the upper part. At that time I started to switch position very often while seated, like reclining now and then or repositioning against the back rest and do some stretching. I also get up and walk a few steps like making coffee for the gang. Outside the office I ride my bike every day, which is said to have an especially beneficial effect on the muscles that support the lower spine, and go dancing twice a week. I have never had back pain ever since and hope it will stay that way.
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Of course I'll go to the doctor this next week, but meanwhile... I got a brand new Sail chair from Herman Miller. Yesterday I saw the table at the office was a little bit inclined to the right... And now, after a couple of months sitting on the new chair I've discovered my back is aching terribly in the low end left side. As most of the people here are sitting everyday and I guess I'm not the first one to get this kind of ache... What would you recommend me to soften that ache a little? Thank you all!
Any reason you can't just level the table?
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Any reason you can't just level the table?
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walking...standing...
Caveat Emptor. "Progress doesn't come from early risers – progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things." Lazarus Long
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Joan M wrote:
I got a brand new Sail chair from Herman Miller.
Looks fancy but not especially ergonomic, compared to mine. I've got a "Mister Sitwell". Never had backaches since.
If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't. — Lyall Watson
I should have got the Aero from HM, but it was terribly expensive... Possibly my next chair, but by now, Sayl is far better than the one I was using... The problem was the unleveled table... Let's see if I get better soon... Thank you for your comment though, I'll check that chair when I think about changing the current one.
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I have found two things to help - (1) Going for a walk at lunch (2) Having two tennis balls handy, lying on the ground on top of the tennis balls in the spots that ache and spending around three minutes doing the equivalent of what dogs do when they roll in something. It hurts but I have found it is the one thing that fixes my back the fastest. If I catch the ache early I find the tennis ball method can fix my back that day.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Standing for a few moments every hour plus some gentle stretches and twisting usually helps me out Edit: this sort of thing Wake-up workout - Live Well - NHS Choices[^] . I can do the seated / standing ones at work thru the day
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This might help. Generally speaking people who sit a lot have bad posture and back issues. [How to Fix “Low Back” Pain) - YouTube](https://youtu.be/DWmGArQBtFI)
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Sounds like the chair was wrong for you. We're all different, there is no chair that works for everyone. See if you can get another one. Take a look at the link from CHill, the knee rolls does it for me. Whenever my back feels "wrong" I do the knee rolls, hear and feel a klick. and usually everything is ok within a day. If I don't I'm looking forward to a lumbago and/or a week or two of back pain. For me the problem actually was my old car, I had back problems every month when it was at the worst. When I changed my car to a different brand, my problems more or less vanished within half a year.
Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello
I don't think so... My English is not as good as it should be... The problem is the table... When we moved the office the table was not level so I forced my back to adapt to the displays and to the keyboard and mouse. After fine tuning the chair and leveling the table I guess I'll be again well soon. Of course it is possible that the chair is not good enough, but it feels very comfortable when you sit on it... Thank you for your comment!
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Warming helps like with a warm (til hot) bath or other warm treatment.:thumbsup: I use sometimes Voltaren creme to linder the pain (it doesnt heal).
Press F1 for help or google it. Greetings from Germany
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Swimming, especially crawl is a good movement to prevent/ease back/spine problems ... and also (I am not joking ...) run up the stairs using feet and arms, like a cat or dog ... (it is a real advice I got once from my physician), but I prefer swimming as it is less "unusual" :-) ... I imagine the faces om my neighbours - is he drunk or what ... also - manual therapy can help, and of course painkillers are not good at all ... BR
