11 Common Pains When Sitting for Too Long

What are the most common pains related to sitting?

There are several ways to document the most common pains related to sitting.

Here, I have chosen to document them in two different ways, each with its limitations.

1️⃣ Based on the most frequent queries from internet users typing “sitting too long pain ***” into their preferred search engine (Google).

2️⃣ By reviewing the findings of academic publications describing the most common pains among individuals who work while sitting.

The most frequently described sitting pains by internet users

Here are the locations of pains described by internet users after prolonged sitting:

• Buttock
• Knee
• Anus
• Leg
• Hip
• Testicle
• Coccyx
• Abdomen
• Lower back
• Head
• Muscles (muscle pain)

📝 Takeaway: You are not alone in experiencing pain from sitting too long, even in unusual places 🙂!

Source: Google search results.

The most common pains among people who work sitting down

Lower back pain (lumbago) is by far the most studied pain related to sitting in the professional world.

Here are some data from these studies:

🟣 In a sample of 64 office workers who sit for work, 3/4 described occasional or chronic lower back pain [Bontrup 2019].

🟣 In a sample of over 44,000 people working in Sweden 🇸🇪, individuals sitting between 1/4 and 3/4 of the time had a significantly lower risk of back or neck pain compared to those sitting all the time at work [Kallings 2021].

🟣 In a sample of 625 Danish workers 🇩🇰, more time spent sitting at work was associated with a faster decrease in neck-shoulder pain intensity over 12 months [Halmman 2016].

🟣 In a sample of 447 Iranian office workers 🇮🇷, the three most common locations of pain were the neck, lower back, and shoulder, with 1 in 2 people reporting pain in each area [Daneshmandi 2017].

Why do we experience pain when sitting for too long?

Here are a few reasons that explain why we feel discomfort after sitting for an extended period:

Compression of nerves and blood vessels.

Stiffening of muscles.

Pressure on intervertebral discs.

These reasons also apply when staying in other positions for prolonged periods, such as lying on one side or standing, etc.

Will these pains persist over time?

When we experience pain after prolonged sitting, two things may concern us:

1. The immediate pain, or pain in the hours following.
2. Long-term pain: does frequently sitting increase the risk of persistent pain or chronic pain?

The second point is more challenging to assess objectively, and data on this topic are inconclusive!

In summary: it is uncertain whether prolonged sitting increases the risk of developing chronic lower back pain! In other words, extended sitting may not necessarily lead to long-term back pain lasting for several months.

🚨 Some data even suggest that sedentary work is protective against chronic lower back pain!

For example, in a study conducted on over 600 Danish workers [Korshøj 2018].

Over one year, a research team measured the time these workers spent sitting for extended periods and tracked the progression of their back pain.

What were their findings?

An increase of 5 minutes in the duration of sitting at work corresponds to a decrease of -0.05 points in the temporal evolution of lower back pain over one year.

This result indicates that sitting at work is beneficial for lower back pain, particularly among populations of workers, by protecting against worsening lower back pain.

Korshøj 2018

This is not an isolated study. Other studies lead to similar results, although others yield opposite findings.

Why am I not discussing other types of pain?

Because back pain is the most studied.

Considering that the data are uncertain and contradictory for the most studied location, I believe it is even more speculative to conclude something for other areas where we often experience pain from prolonged sitting!

📝 What to remember? If your job or other activities require prolonged sitting, you are not necessarily more prone to chronic pain!

However, you might be interested in knowing what to do to avoid immediate discomfort when sitting for extended periods. I will share my experience on this subject!

6 things I do to avoid pain when sitting for long periods

For more than 7 months, I have had a very sedentary job: I work 100% from my computer, full-time!

I have implemented several things to limit the time I spend in one position (especially sitting), which can cause unpleasant tension, at least in the moment.

Here they are!

1- I take active breaks while my coffee is brewing

I make several coffees, teas, and herbal teas throughout the day.

Each time, while the water is boiling or the coffee is brewing, I take the opportunity to stand up and do stretching exercises or movements:

• Place my hands behind my back and stretch backward;
• Step up and down on a footstool in my kitchen;
• Throw kicks as if I’m boxing;
• Do a few squats, etc.

2- I take my calls or video meetings while walking

Depending on the person I’m talking to on the phone or in a video call, I allow myself to make the call or video call while walking.

✅ On hiking trails if I don’t need much concentration.

✅ At a park if I need a bit more concentration.

This has never been a problem 🙂

3 – I regularly change my seating location

I don’t have an ergonomic chair: the chairs I sit on are over 40 years old, recovered from an old reception hall!

However, I alternate between different seats and positions:

• Sitting on a chair with cushions;
• Sitting on a chair without cushions;
• Sitting on the couch without cushions;
• Sitting on the couch with cushions.

Some also like to alternate with sitting on a stability ball.

4 – I alternate with standing

I try not to spend more than an hour or two sitting, even when changing positions.

So I stand up regularly, placing my laptop on the kitchen counter.

5 – I alternate with lying on my stomach

In the evenings, I sometimes work lying on my stomach or back on the couch, with the laptop placed on the couch or on me.

I do this without any particular support, but there are laptop stands available to facilitate this.

I had one, but I stopped using it: I found that it didn’t encourage me to change positions!

6 – I make movements with my back, arms, and abs in my chair when I think about it

Throughout the day, I often feel that my body needs to move.

Without formalizing it too much, I regularly make small movements aimed at stretching or mobilizing:

• Looking up at the ceiling
• Turning my head right and left
• Raising both arms as high as possible and backward
• Contracting my stomach and squeezing my buttocks (“stomach vacuum”)
• Leaning my back against the chair’s backrest and letting myself lean backward, etc.