I’ve properly destroyed my lower back. I’ve been working around it for years by doing a lot of strengthening work and worshiping at the altar of CrossFit. However, at the end of October, I broke a toe and was hobbling around, with small kids that needed picking up, and undertook a 12-hour endurance race hoping in and out of a caged car. This has left me pretty beat up.
Resuming Yoga and doing additional stretching is helping. I spend 10+ hours a day at my desk, and love my Mirra chair. I also have a sit-standing desk and stand when my watch tells me to (most of the time). A friend has suggested a footrest might help put my lower back in a more neutral position. Has anyone had any success with this? Any recommendations?
Has anyone else experienced similar? Any other things I can try?
Yes, having a footrest makes a significant difference for me. I had to live without one for year due to space issues, but I’ve just moved and one of the first things I did was put the footrest back under the desk.
Do you mean a foot stool to lift your feet horizontal off the floor, or a little cushion/ledge/shelf to bend your knees?
I’m not keen on the latter. My former employer liked foot rests, but in my (non-medical) opinion whether they are helpful depends entirely on your own height, the height of your chair and the height of your desk. Given your long experience with back pain I’m guessing you’ve already optimised your furniture in that way so your feet are already the correct angle from your hips. Also, bending your knees too much is going to give you other medical issues (it’s not good for circulation).
I’m a big fan of foot stools, but I don’t use anything proper, I just have a box under my desk that happens to be at a nice height that I stretch my legs out on. I injured my lower back as a care-free child and go through periods where it is stiff and sore. I think (again, non-medically) that having my feet up helps when sitting for long periods.
Honestly though the only real solution is to make sure you move a lot. (I know it’s impossible to do it as much as evolution would prefer, given the nature of computer-based jobs.)
Had a bad back pain since high school. My back was in S form and got juvenile arthritis. Footrest does help a lot. I work standing before lunch on my desk. Then again after lunch. I use a balance board for the past 5 years and it helped alleviate my back pain at the end of the day. It keeps you moving while standing on a balance board keeping you active. Here’s what I’m using called Fluidstance. I think any balance board is fine, I just got this off a raffle and loved it.
@The point made by @Pupsino about height is important.
I need a slanted foot rest; I tried a flat box and it didn’t work for me, actually caused more pain. The value of the slant is that by my feet being at that angle, it gently pushed my lower back into the chair and I sit up properly. I am only 156cm tall though!
Best thing to do would be to try a couple of types, maybe see if you can borrow them from different people and see which is more comfortable. I found a heavy slanted footrest was better than a light one, as I fidget with the latter.
Have you given a kneeling chair a try? I’ve got some degenerated discs in my lower back and sitting in a regular office chair for any extended period of time hurts. A physical therapist suggested a kneeling chair and it was a huge help.
I really like this foam foot rest I got from Amazon. It’s stiffer, but will allow my feet to be at an angle and is way more comfortable than some of the hard options I tried.
I now flit between standing, resting my feet and trying to improve my posture. It’s not fixed, but as a small update, I am not suffering from lower backache.
The biggest win appears to be the gym and increasing my overall strength.
