‘Think beyond the desk’: Sore from sitting all day at work? Here’s what a physio suggests

Whether you’re in the office or working from home, sitting down most of the day due to the demands of a desk-based job can have impacts on our bodies.

But those little niggles and cricks, especially in the back, neck and shoulders, can be a sign – not that we’re working too hard, but that we’re not working correctly.

Contrary to belief, physios say it’s not the ergonomic styling of your desk space that makes the main difference to how you feel at the end of a busy day.

UK-based specialist Katie Knapton tells nine.com.au it’s not about where we work – be it in the home or the office – but how we work.

“It’s rarely just about posture,” she says, adding: “I’d particularly think beyond the desk.”

Knapton says musculoskeletal symptoms are influenced by “a combination of physical, psychological and social factors”.

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Think about your whole day, not just work day

Knapton, chair of Physio First and a member of UK’s Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, says good or bad musculoskeletal health doesn’t exist in isolation – it goes beyond your desk or screen height.

“It’s another reason to think about the whole working day, rather than just someone’s chair or posture,” she says.

“We certainly see neck, shoulder, upper limb and back pain, but these are very common problems and usually have multiple contributing factors.

"Physical activity, sleep, stress, wellbeing and our wider working environment can all play a part."

So if you've got a sore neck or a pain in the lower back from bashing away at the keyboard all day, Knapton says look to other issues in your day, such as staying in the one position too long.

"Movement and variation are often underestimated," she says.

The perfect set-up doesn’t exist, but this can help

Knapton says while there’s no “perfect set-up” for our desks, there are a number of tweaks we can make to ensure some basic ergonomic advantages make you more comfortable.

“Think about your screen position so you’re not constantly looking significantly down, up or to one side,” she advises.

“If you’re using a laptop for long periods, a separate keyboard and mouse can give you more flexibility with screen position. Aim for a comfortable chair and work surface, with your keyboard, mouse and other regularly used equipment within easy reach.

“Also, consider the simple things such as lighting, glare from windows, screen brightness and text size.”

Knapton says for people who are on the phone all day, they may find a headset more comfortable than holding a phone or wedging it between their ear and neck.

But, the expert says, even the most beautifully designed ergonomic workstation doesn’t remove the need to move.

“The aim is comfort and variety, not achieving a mythical perfect posture,” Knapton tells nine.com.au.

“And modification isn’t only about equipment. Look at meeting patterns, workload, proper breaks and whether working from home has quietly extended your working day.”

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Feel the flow

Knapton says there isn’t a magic point at which your posture suddenly becomes harmful, so there aren’t any advantages to be had from rigid rules like walking around every 30 minutes.

But there are some quick and easy things we can do to feel a little less stiff at the end of the workday and this boils down to Knapton’s three key principles: Move, Modify, Manage.

“Build regular movement and changes of position naturally into your day,” Knapton advises.

“Stand while you’re on the phone, walk between online meetings, get a drink, use the stairs, go outside at lunchtime or simply change how you’re sitting. There isn’t one perfect posture. Our bodies like movement and variety.

“A lot of this sounds obvious, but that doesn’t mean we’re doing it.”

The WFH conundrum

Knapton says for a lot of us, working from home, has extended our workdays and therefore we spend more time sitting in front of the laptop.

“Working from home isn’t inherently better or worse for our bodies,” Knapton says.

“It can actually give us more flexibility and potentially more opportunity to move. The issue is how we work from home.

“For some people it can mean longer hours, fewer natural breaks, less incidental movement, prolonged time in one position, increased stress and more blurred boundaries between work and home.”

Knapton says the biggest difference for our bodies once you remove the commute is the incidental exercise we get along the way.

“It’s incredibly easy when working from home to go from one online meeting to another, work through lunch and suddenly realise you’ve barely moved or left the house all day,” she tells nine.com.au.

“We don’t necessarily need expensive equipment or complicated exercise programmes. Move regularly, vary your position, make your workspace comfortable, take proper breaks and get outside when you can.

“The important thing is actually building those simple things into the working day.”

Knapton says people shouldn’t “panic at the first ache” and advises to stay active and make sensible adjustments.

But, if the symptoms persist, worsen or significantly affect what you can do, then you should seek an individual assessment.

Desk exercises

While Knapton is hesitant to prescribe complicated exercises to patients, she says these simple moves can help people who are desk-bound a lot of the day feel a little more limber.

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Sit to stand: stand up from your chair and sit back down several times, or do a few squats if you prefer.

Move your upper body: reach your arms overhead, roll your shoulders and gently rotate from side to side. It doesn’t need to be a formal stretch. Just move.

Walk: get away from the desk and walk around the room, up the stairs or, even better, outside for a few minutes.

As someone who works from home most of the week, I can attest that keeping these simple ideas of extra movement in mind do make a difference.