Tired of Chronic Back Pain? 5 Simple Steps to Get Relief

We live in a culture that often demands long hours spent sitting in cars and at desks working at computers. It’s a recipe for poor posture and chronic back pain.

It’s no wonder backaches—typically in the lower back—are widely considered the most common form of pain in the United States. Research has shown that more than a quarter of adults have low back pain, for a variety of reasons, at any given time.

Breaking that cycle takes intention.

“Maintaining good posture and muscular stability cannot be achieved passively given the structure of our modern society,” says Eric K. Holder, MD, a Yale Medicine physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation physician). “It requires all of us to maintain awareness and consistency to habitual acts that promote our well-being.”

Injuries and accidents sometimes cause back pain, but it commonly results just from the normal activities of day-to-day life. Less-than-perfect posture takes a toll, too.

“Postural misalignment can place undue stress on our muscles, spinal joints, and discs,” Dr. Holder says. “This can become even more of an issue as we age. Discs begin to degenerate, joints start to develop osteoarthritis, and we become more sensitive to mechanical stress.”

Taking steps to improve your posture can go a long way toward relieving or preventing many types of back pain. Here are five simple steps to take.

You want to aim for neutral spine alignment, where the major joints are stacked on top of each other. When you’re sitting, that means your shoulders are aligned over your hips. When you’re standing, shoulders are aligned with the hips, knees, and ankles. This means that all parts of the body are directly stacked upon one another with appropriate alignment.

“This alignment minimizes unnecessary stress and reduces the potential for injury or damage to our muscles and spinal structures,” Dr. Holder says.

If your daily routine includes long bouts of sitting at a desk, besides causing other health problems, this can put stress on your lower back. Day after day, this can tighten certain muscles and weaken others, resulting in musculoskeletal aches and pains.

“Often, while we’re seated, we slouch or sit in ways that may predispose us to injury or result in persistent postural misalignment,” Dr. Holder says.

Instead of shifting your position to ease stress or pain every time it arises, which may help in the moment but not necessarily over the long term, consider establishing an ergonomic workstation. Here’s how:

• Choose a chair in which you can comfortably sit all the way back so that your glutes (your buttocks) touch the back of the chair.

• Keep your head positioned directly over your shoulders.

• Position yourself so that your elbows, hips, and knees all make an approximate 90-degree angle.

• Place your computer monitor about an arm’s length away, so that your eyes are level with the top of it. This ensures that you aren’t overextending your neck to look up or down at your screen.

• Keep your keyboard and mouse at the edge of the desk so you aren’t reaching or leaning forward to use them.

• Make adjustments if you don’t have an ergonomic chair that conforms to the natural curvature of the spine. For example, roll up a towel and place it at the small of your back for lumbar support. Many chairbacks are perfectly straight, but a human spine is not.

If you regularly spend long hours sitting, create a schedule that builds in posture checks, standing breaks, and some posture-promoting exercise. You can set an alarm or use a phone app to remind you to take these breaks every hour. During these breaks, check in with your body by noticing how your back, neck, and shoulders feel. Do you have any pain? Are you maintaining a neutral spine?

“We all get engrossed in our work or other tasks,” Dr. Holder says, “but it’s important to check in with yourself: How do you feel? How do adjustments in your posture make you feel?”

When you stand, do a few posture-focused exercises or stretches. Dr. Holder recommends these:

When you return to your seat, realign your posture to keep a neutral spine and the proper form in your ergonomic workspace.

Your posture when sitting isn’t the only thing that matters. Using the right posture and weight distribution when lifting heavy items is also important in reducing undue stress and preventing injury.

“When lifting, always remember to bend at the knees, not the waist. Keep the item close to your body and avoid twisting or contorting yourself in an awkward position while you lift,” Dr. Holder says. “And remember to breathe. Don’t hold your breath.” It’s best to exhale on a heavy lift, he adds, to help avoid a sudden blood pressure spike or a hernia.

Good posture depends on physical fitness, Dr. Holder says. “Core strength, flexibility, and endurance are required to maintain optimal neutral spine alignment.”

If you’re looking for exercise that specifically promotes posture and awareness of your alignment, Dr. Holder recommends Pilates, yoga, and tai chi.

Floor exercises such as planks and bridges will improve core strength.

Endurance is critical, too, and you’ll improve that through the 150 weekly minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity that federal guidelines recommend.

Like any new habit, improving your posture takes time and consistency. Stick with it, and over time you will start to see—and feel!—the results.

Illustrations by Maya Szatai.