Should I rest when my lower back hurts?

Guidelines advise against long bed rest for everyday lower back pain. Staying gently active and returning to normal activity helps most people recover faster.

What exercises help lower back pain from sitting?

Walking, hip hinges, glute bridges, loaded carries and split squats build the hip and trunk strength that supports the lower back. Start light and progress slowly.

Does a standing desk fix back pain?

Standing all day is not better than sitting all day. What helps is changing position often and moving regularly, whatever desk you use.

Field notes · Mobility and back pain

Lower back pain from a desk job: what helps

Lower back pain is the most common reason men tell me they stopped training. The irony is that the right kind of movement is usually what gets them out of it.

Dai Manuel · Coach Moose · Vancouver

Why desk work hurts

It is rarely the sitting itself. It is sitting in one position for hours without a break, with weak hips and a stiff upper back, followed by an evening on the couch. Your back gets asked to do everything and trained to do nothing.

What the evidence recommends

Current guidelines for everyday lower back pain are clear: stay active, avoid long bed rest, and use exercise as the main treatment. Most episodes of non-specific back pain settle within weeks. Movement helps them settle faster, and strength work helps stop them coming back.

In practice: walk every day, get up from your desk every thirty to sixty minutes, and build strength in your hips and trunk with hinges, carries and split squats, starting light.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor promptly if the pain follows a fall or injury, spreads down a leg with numbness or weakness, comes with fever or unexplained weight loss, or if you have any change in bladder or bowel control. Those are not coaching problems.

Common questions

Should I rest when my lower back hurts?: Guidelines advise against long bed rest for everyday lower back pain. Staying gently active and returning to normal activity helps most people recover faster.
What exercises help lower back pain from sitting?: Walking, hip hinges, glute bridges, loaded carries and split squats build the hip and trunk strength that supports the lower back. Start light and progress slowly.
Does a standing desk fix back pain?: Standing all day is not better than sitting all day. What helps is changing position often and moving regularly, whatever desk you use.

This is coaching, not medical advice. If something here sounds like you, talk to your doctor.

Sources

Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management (NG59). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2016, updated 2020.
Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions. Foster et al., The Lancet, 2018.