Lower Back Pain – Why Sitting Isn’t The Problem

Lower back pain from sitting all day isn’t about posture. It’s about what happens when your body doesn’t move.

You’ve probably heard, and no doubt felt, that sitting is bad for your back. And it’s easy to see why. A long day at your desk followed by an equally arduous car, bus or train commute – surely having your backside firmly planted in one spot for too long is the culprit? Well, not quite. Because people who stand all day report the same problem as well. 

Sitting isn’t the problem. It’s the lack of movement  

Prolonged static load. That’s the clinical term for it, but it’s really just a fancy way of saying too much time spent in one position. Viewed as the number one reason for lower back pain, it’s when the same muscles, joints, and tissues remain under constant, low-level strain without variation¹. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re sitting at a desk or standing on a job site. If the load doesn’t move, it builds². Over time, that leads to fatigue, stiffness, and localised irritation in the lower back, not because something is ‘wrong’, but because nothing is changing.  Here’s what actually happens when you sit too long:

• Muscles supporting your spine stay constantly activated  
• Blood flow to those tissues reduces over time  
• Joints experience continuous low-level compression  

That combination leads to: 

• Stiffness 
• Fatigue 
• Localised irritation  

So muscles in the lower back aren’t necessarily injured per se, more aggravated, with the same process repeated each day keeping that aggravation response constant. That’s why the pain often builds through the day, becoming a real problem once you’ve finished work or during the car ride home.  

Why posture alone usually doesn’t fix it 

A lot of advice focuses on ‘perfect posture’ behind the computer, in the car or even while standing. But no posture is good if you hold it too long. This is because the problem isn’t about body position, but lack of variation. Muscles are designed to switch on and off, shorten and lengthen, and share the load with other muscles. When you stay in one position too long, they’re forced to stay ‘on’,  holding the same tension without relief until fatigue and stiffness set in. Think of it like doing a leg squat for five hours. Your legs would be pretty sore after that and it’s no different if you’re doing the same to your back. 

What actually helps lower back pain caused by sitting 

Rule number 1 – Change position more often. Not once an hour. More like every 20–30 minutes. Even just small shifts standing briefly (try a standing desk if you can), walking (you don’t need to go round the block, maybe just to the staff kitchen and back), or adjusting seat height so your back isn’t kept in the same position long. Remember- to reduce sustained load you just have to keep things changing³.   Rule number 2 – Reintroduce a wider variety of movement. Your spine is designed to flex, extend and rotate – not just sit upright all day. So, simple movements like light rotation (twisting the torso) and gentle extension (arcing the back forwards and backwards), can help redistribute load across tissues⁴.  Rule number 3 – Build tolerance, not just flexibility. Stretching can feel good, but strength and endurance matter also, especially for recurring back pain. A stronger, more conditioned group of muscles is better able to handle load over time, reducing the likelihood of fatigue and recurring discomfort. So try building endurance with light, consistent movement beyond that trip to the staff kitchen, then strengthen your core, glutes, and lower back to share the load. Also, because short, frequent movement beats occasional effort, keep this type of exercise regular⁵.

Where pain relief fits in

When lower back pain becomes heavily localised, obviously inflamed, and persistent through the day or night, localised pain relief can help. Topical anti-inflammatory gels can be particularly helpful because they target a specific area, reduce local inflammation, and avoid full-body exposure associated with oral medication⁶. The best person to speak to about which pain reliever ton use, including advanced topical pain relievers like Evoflex, is your pharmacist.    

It’s not just your back

Lower back pain is often just where you notice it first. The same pattern shows up in knees (especially with load-bearing activity), shoulders (desk posture plus tension) and neck (screen time plus static positioning). The common factor is still load without variation 

The takeaway

Lower back pain from sitting all day isn’t really about sitting. It’s about spending too much time in one position. Once you understand that, the focus shifts from trying to ‘fix’ your posture to changing how your body experiences load throughout the day.