Our spines support our whole body. (photo: diice)

Do you have back pain?

Does it bother you when you sleep? When you wake up?

Does it make it difficult to do what you really want to do? Spending time with loved ones or doing kinky things hurt by your back?

Hey, I’m in my twenties, and I have back pain. That’s right, I’m in my twenties and  I have back pain. Not as bad as some people, though it gets pretty bad sometimes.

It gets to the point where I can’t even go out and do anything.

I know a lot of older folks and even younger who also have immense back pain.

Some people try to fix it with Icy hot, or some bengay cream. Some use ice as well. This is all temporary relief. It doesn’t last for a long time.

Remember when I said to fix the system not the symptom?

This is one of those situations.

Do you want to know one of the biggest causes of back pain is?

Guess.

What is back pain from?

Posture? Yes.

Picking up things with your back and not your legs? Yes.

Sleeping in a bad posture? Yes.

These aren’t the largest cause of back pain though.

There is something invented by humans, something we do everyday and is becoming more prevalent as we become knowledge workers more and more in the population.

It’s something we’ve been doing since we were young, something most people do to relax or work.

Have you figured it out yet?

Most back pain comes from SITTING.

Sitting is the worse thing we can do for our backs.

My disclaimer here is, I’m no doctor, or special fitness dude who knows all, so don’t take what I say as medical advice or any of the sort.

Sitting. Did you guess it was this? It took me a while the first time someone asked me all these questions.

Think about it, how much do you sit in a day?

What sort of pressure is on your back and other parts of your body?

It’s a lot more than you think.

You might be asking, but sitting is sort of a requirement in everyday life, and you’re right.

What can you do?

There are times when you can choose to stand instead of sit.

I’m standing up as I write this article. I know use a standing desk. Most office workers sit 8-9 hours a day, which includes the commute.

Students sit just as much or more.

What do office workers do when they get home? They usually sit watching TV.

Same for students.

For some reason, I’ve always had the habit of standing when most people were sitting. I think my body and mind knew somehow that standing was so much more beneficial than sitting.

How do you cure this back pain? Start working standing up if it is possible for you.

Standing up and working is NOT possible for everyone, so for those who NEED to sit, look for ergonomically correct chairs. Just search them via google and you’ll get a ton of reviews.

For everyone else, get a standing desk. You could even use a music stand.

Right now I’m using a standing desk to write this, I’ll show you a video soon with what I use.

It’s very portable and it is the perfect height for me.

Use this website as a guide for how tall your standing desk should be.

Now, you can also use counters as your desk or other places which match with where a standing desk should be for you.

How should you stand?

The best way to stand is with good posture. Roll your shoulders back and distribute weight evenly on both your legs. Back straight and neck not tilted over, but straight.

When you first start working while standing up, you will probably get tired pretty fast. I still have a chair I use to take breaks in, eat or watch anime.

I stand most of the day though, at least 80% or more of my awake time.

The thing is, my back starts hurting the second I sit down, because I’ve been sitting for 16 hour days for the past few months.

I’ve been using my standing desk for about 10 days now. It took me a while to stand correctly with good posture.

It may take you a while too. Try standing on two weight measurement things and you’ll see how you distribute your weight unevenly.

Standing while working or in daily life is another habit you’ll need to pick up. It takes a while. Watch my Day 6 No Shampoo/Q-tips video to learn about habit gravity escape velocity.

I don’t have back pain much anymore except when I sit in my uncomfortable chair. I haven’t had any sharp stabbing back pain either that I have had in the past.

In this example for standing versus sitting, we’re changing the system not the symptom. We’re changing the cause of the problem to not have the same problem. While this may not solve all your back problems, this will really help and cure some.

Here is a video of the Instand.

This is the table I use now on to stand while working.

It’s very portable and light.

Alright, let me know how your back pain goes!

Posted June 20th, 2010.