Sitting with Sciatica and lower back pain sufferers know that sitting for long periods is going to bite them in the backside… hip, leg, below the knee, and toes.
Like many other humans, I have to sit at a desk hour upon end to make my living and when that nerve pain is relentless, it can be quite soul-destroying can’t it?
I find that being in considerable pain around others who don’t know I am… makes me feel lonely. Odd that isn’t it?
Sitting with sciatica
One thing I remind myself to do consistently on those bad days is move, even if I’m knee deep in work… I know if I don’t move it amplifies my discomfort.
We know that we should get up and move every 20-30 minutes but in the real working world, those 20-30 minutes can turn in to 120 minutes before we know it, and so on.
So what do I do to make sure I move? I set a simple vibrate timer on my phone.
That’s the movement reminder sorted… but wait a moment… if your desk and chair don’t encourage good posture you’re on a hiding to nothing.
A change of desk, chair or both can have a huge impact on your pain levels.
Please be standing for Sciatica pain relief
I’ve had a height-adjustable standing desk for around 5 years now and it’s helped. When I first started using it I stood up too long, then I didn’t stand
up enough (which was kind of pointless) then I found my natural timing. The prices have tumbled since I bought mine and you can get them for half the price. Here’s a VIVO Adjustable desk converter that’s pulled in over 1680 reviews with a 4.6 star rating on Amazon.
The great thing about these convertors is that they can sit on any old desk or table and turn it into a top-notch workstation. If you do invest in a standing desk convertor, be sure to check its load bearing capacity so it can handle your equipment.
I can’t recommend a chair as I’ve not used one for years. I use a height-adjustable piano stool so my knees are lower than my hips and on top of that I have a little gizmo I bought a long time ago.
I wasn’t sure if they were still being sold but they are! It’s a BackJoy SitSmart, a substantially cheaper solution to buying a $1000 ‘back’ chair.
Hard to explain how this feels, it kinda cradles you into a good sitting posture, like your sitting with sciatica in a giant supportive hand. Again, it was a small change that made a big difference.
You know, we don’t have to sit and suffer folks… we can do so much to help our lower back pain and sciatica at home and work.
Stay safe, be groovy
